Somebody to Love Part II
by Phantom Rosabelle
Summary: AU: PRIS. Nothing worth having ever comes free. Everything is looking up for Andros, but trouble is just around the corner. Andros/Ashley.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Author's Note:** So here's Part 2 and I'm still inspired to write for this six months after I put up Part 1. I think that means we'll see a Part 3. :grins:

Just to let you know, there is a fifty-fifty chance that the T rating will go up to an M later on. It depends entirely on how many times I can stand to revise two, possibly three scenes. If I can't write it so I'm happy with it, anything that was annoying me gets thrown out and it stays as it is. If the story seems to disappear later on, it probably means I liked what I ended up with and upped the rating. I can't think of anything else that you need to know at the moment, so enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

"You kissed me last night."

Those weren't the first words Andros had wanted to hear in the morning. He hadn't even noticed that she was awake; she hadn't stirred, her head still tucked between his chin and his shoulder, hair spilling across her face.

"You kissed me back," he muttered uneasily. She didn't sound accusatory, though, and he figured that was a good sign.

"I know."

Ashley finally moved, sitting up and stretching. Andros blinked at her in surprise, smiling as he watched her rub slowly at her eyes. Her cheek was red from where it had been pressed against his body and his smile widened at the sight. She looked very vulnerable like that... not to mention unbelievably beautiful for someone who had woken up half a moment before.

"Your eye looks better," she remarked, reaching out to trace what had been a rather nasty bruise the night before. "I thought it would heal a little faster, though."

"It was like this in the beginning, too," he told her, stretching out his arms. "It'll get faster."

"I hope so." Ashley stifled a yawn with one hand. "I should probably go get dressed..."

Andros nodded, unable to keep himself from yawning as well. "Thanks," he said, and smiled at her. "For staying with me last night."

"You're welcome." Ashley giggled for no discernable reason, and then settled back into his arms despite her earlier words. "I guess we're together now?"

"I--" He stopped and turned to look at her, unsure of whether she was asking or merely stating the fact. "Are we?"

"Looks like it," she said. Her voice was neutral, and did absolutely nothing to clear up his confusion.

"Ashley, I... I'm not sure what you're saying," he confessed finally. He sat up then, studying her expression carefully for anything that would clue him in to what she was feeling.

He'd never been in a relationship--of any kind--with someone who wasn't either telepathic or empathic, and he had never been very skilled at reading people. This was particularly frustrating given Ashley's ability to see straight through him effortlessly, whether he wanted her to or not.

He'd also never been in a relationship with anyone who wasn't Karovan, or close enough to it. Earth had to be different, but it hadn't occured to him to educate himself beforehand, and the result was that he was sitting on his bed staring down at Ashley in a mixture of confusion and helplessness. Not that he minded staring at Ashley.

"Okay," Ashley said slowly, and he turned to regard her in surprise and even more confusion. How exactly was that supposed to make anything clear?

Ashley pushed herself up until she was sitting beside him, tucking her legs off to the side as she turned to face him. He felt his breath catch in his throat as her eyes met his, as everything that he felt for her rushed to the forefront of his mind and he caught himself just before blurting out something that he would regret.

Andros was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't see her lean towards him. Her lips were gentle against his own, but the sensation was enough to make him jump in surprise. Ashley began to pull back and without thinking, he slid one hand behind her head to draw her close again.

"Andros," she murmured, letting him kiss her again. "I think that's a yes."

He laughed quietly and let her pull away this time. "I think so too," he agreed, reaching out to tuck wisps of her hair behind her ear unconsciously.

"I really should go," she muttered regretfully. "I should get dressed and if the others find out I... slept here," she said, a little uncertainly, "we'll never hear the end of it."

"We wouldn't," he said with a half smile. "Even if anyone else wanted to forget, Zhane wouldn't let them."

Ashley laughed and swung her legs over the side of his bunk, bending over to gather up her boots and jacket from his floor. He watched her silently, not daring to speak a word and break the comfortable silence. He doubted that he would be able to stop grinning long enough speak, anyway.

"I'll see you later," she said softly, and leaned in to kiss him again, quickly. Then she laughed and added, "Like at breakfast."

He couldn't help but laugh along with her. Living in the close proximity of the Megaship, he doubted that they would go for very long without seeing each other. Andros rather liked the thought.

"See you at breakfast, then," he said with a grin. He was moving to kiss her one last time before she left when he heard the door slide open.

"You know," Zhane's voice commented. "The doors around here do lock, Andros."

Andros glared at his friend over Ashley's shoulder as she stifled a giggle, watching his sister try not to laugh as well. "I hadn't noticed."

Ashley couldn't quite contain her laughter this time. "Sorry," she whispered, choking on the word. "I'll see you later."

He just nodded, too intent on glaring at Zhane to do much else. Ashley swallowed her laughter and hopped up from his bed, waving sheepishly to him, and then Zhane and Karone, before vanishing into the hall.

"She was here all night?" Zhane asked softly, the instant the doors had closed behind Ashley.

"Nothing happened," Andros said firmly. "But, yes, she was."

"I'm happy for you," Karone decided. "You've wanted this for weeks now."

Andros looked at her, taken aback by her unexpected support. After her words to him the night before, he would have counted himself lucky if she was in the mood to be in the same room as he was, let alone talk to him.

"And I think I overreacted a little last night," she added, letting out a nervous little laugh. "You just... scared me."

"Sorry," he offered. "I thought I'd be back before anyone noticed."

"You're lucky someone **did** notice," Zhane began, and then shook his head. "I hope you figured out that much, at least."

"Yeah," he admitted, and sighed. "That probably wasn't the smartest decision I've ever made--but I really thought that I was... helping you somehow."

"Andros," Karone sighed. She hesitated before adding somewhat grudgingly, "Well, at least you know it was stupid--now, anyway."

He kept his mouth shut. He still firmly believed that his going to the Dark Fortress alone had been a far better choice than letting any of the others go in his place, but if Karone was willing to let the matter drop, then so was he. He wasn't going to risk setting her off again by disagreeing, at any rate.

"Well, not that that's settled," Zhane broke in cheerfully, earning himself two amused glances in response to his less than smooth change of topic, "we've got better things to do today!"

"Zhane..." Karone's smile was more indulgent than exasperated.

"We do," the silver ranger insisted, quite literally bouncing up and down with glee. For a moment, anyway; Karone jabbed him none too gently in the ribs. "Ashley's party, remember?"

"Of course we remember," she retorted, laughing now. "But from what Cassie told me, there's no reason for you to be this excited about it."

"You know I love parties," Zhane continued, rambling on cheerfully. "And we've never been to a birthday party before. Or an Earth party at all! I'm still not quite sure what a birthday is, you know... Do you think they have games? I think I should get dressed now, don't you? I'll see you at breakfast, then..."

"I suppose that means he wants us to talk," Andros mused. Zhane was still babbling as he backed out of the room, and he couldn't help laughing a bit at his friends expense.

"Probably." Karone shook her head with a sigh. "He went out of his way to look like an idiot--we shouldn't make him waste that."

Andros laughed and stretched out his legs, patting the bed beside him. "Sit down," he offered.

She sit, dropping down beside him and turning until they were eye-to-eye. "Sorry I hit you," she said finally, though she looked about to laugh again and didn't quite sound apologetic.

"It's okay," he said, and raised one hand to his cheek unconsciously. "It doesn't hurt anymore, anyway."

"No," Karone agreed with a laugh. "Because it was the other side I hit."

"I told you it didn't hurt." He lowered his hand and shifted awkwardly on the bed. "Look, Karone... I really am sorry."

"I know," she admitted. "But Andros, you're the only family I've got left. I don't want to lose you, and especially not like that."

"I was thinking the same about you," he said, just a tiny bit frustrated. "Why don't you believe me?"

"Because... well, you were so stupid," Karone told him. "You had to have been thinking something more than you wanted us to be safe to sneak off all on your own and teleport yourself completely defenseless onto the Dark Fortress."

Andros decided right then never to mention what his original plan had been. She probably would have impaled him on her staff.

"I wasn't," he said sheepishly. When she put it that way, he did sound rather, well, completely stupid.

"Andros," Karone began, and then sighed. "I give up."

He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "What?"

"I don't like what you did," she informed him. "I hate it, really. But you're not listening to me when I'm telling you why."

"Karone--"

"So let's forget about this?" she continued. "Before you say something that makes me want to hurt you again?"

She definitely would have impaled him on her staff if she'd known what his original plan had been, he decided. Right before using Zhane's Silverizer to finish him off--slowly, of course.

"It probably would be for the best," he agreed, and reached out to hug his sister. "Promise me you'll stay safe, Karone."

"Promise," she whispered. "As long as you do."

"Promise," he said quietly.

"And you mean it?" she pressed. "No more sneaking off on your own?"

"I mean it," he assured her. "I won't be doing that again for a long time."

"Or ever," Karone said sternly, and he hastened to agree. "Now, let's get out of here... I'm starving, and I think there's a certain yellow ranger waiting impatiently for you to show up at breakfast."

Andros only laughed. She didn't need to know how impatient he was to see Ashley again himself.

"Oh, and Andros?" Karone hopped to her feet and then tugged him to his. "It's nice to have our red ranger back."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 2**

The Karovans wouldn't stop fidgeting. Someone passed her another present, but Ashley's attention wasn't on the gift as she unwrapped it. Andros and Zhane were at the far end of the picnic table the rangers had claimed for Ashley's cake and presents, Zhane on one side and Andros at the other. Karone stood between them, leaning forward slightly over the table, her gaze traveling between Ashley's present opening and Zhane's endless squirming.

Andros wasn't fidgeting around nearly as much, but every so often, he'd cross and uncross his arms, as though he wasn't quite sure what to do with them. If he hadn't looked so anxious, it would have been cute. Frowning slightly, she opened the present she'd been holding in her hand for quite awhile now, all the while wondering why Andros was so nervous.

"Hmm," she mused, studying the brightly wrapped fire extinguisher. TJ chuckled when she lifted it out of the bag, but he shook his head when she glanced at him.

"What?" Carlos looked up from cutting the cake, smiling innocently. "Everyone needs one!"

"Yeah," she gushed with feigned enthusiasm and poorly hidden sarcasm. "Thank you!"

He only laughed and held up the first corner of the cake. Cassie reached over and tugged the paper plate away from him, nodding towards the end of the table.

"No cake until all the presents are done," she reminded him sternly. "Those three haven't gone yet."

Andros was definitely nervous now. Zhane, on the other hand, looked positively gleeful. Nothing short of disappointment crossed the silver ranger's face when Karone leaned forward and tapped her brother hard on the shoulder, urging him forward.

"I, uh..." Andros pulled a small golden box from his pocket as he stood, eyes darting around to everyone else but her. "Happy birthday, Ashley," he said quietly, finally lifting his gaze to hers.

He held the box out to her and she stepped forward to take it from him, her fingers brushing lightly against his as she did so. Ashley thought he hid a smile when he stepped back, but her attention was momentarily focused on working off the box lid.

"Wow," she murmured, eyes flicking up to his and then back down again. Carefully, she lifted the necklace from the box, running her fingers across the smooth metal as the yellow gem caught the sunlight.

"The stone's a rare gem from KO-35," Andros explained, a small smile on his face. "I hope you like it."

"I love it," she assured him softly, and his smile became a grin. "Thank you," she added, pulling him into a hug.

"You're welcome," he replied just as quietly, and she wondered if she was just imagining the slight smugness of his tone. His voice lowered as he muttered, "Do they know yet?"

"No," she whispered back, knowing what he'd meant. "Why?"

"Because," he said, "I really wanted to kiss you."

Ashley had to bite down on her lip to keep from giggling at that. He let her step away, though he did look rather disappointed. She caught his arm and held the necklace out to him when he took a step back towards where he had been sitting a moment before, and he looked at her questioningly.

"Aren't you going to help me put it on?" she asked him with an innocent smile.

Andros stepped forward again, an answering smile on his face now. He took the necklace from her and stepped around behind her, fastening the clasp securely. Ashley hesitated when she felt the pendant settle against her chest, his hands still resting lightly on the back of her neck. Then she turned around and kissed him on the lips, feeling him almost flinch away in surprise. His arms were around her a moment later, holding her close for a moment after she turned her head to the side.

"Thanks," she murmured again, sparing a nervous glance over her shoulder. Karone and Zhane merely stared back at her, no less than she'd expected. TJ, Carlos, and Cassie, however, had varying degrees of surprise mingling in their expressions and Ashley sighed.

"So, when did **this** happen?" Carlos inquired mildly.

"Um... last night," she admitted with a faint blush. "We started talking in the med bay..."

"And then--Ow!" Zhane whined, rubbing his side where Karone's elbow had jabbed him. "That hurt!"

Ashley saw Andros shoot Karone a grateful look and decided that now was an excellent time for a change of topic. "So... are we ready for cake yet?"

"Yes!" Carlos exclaimed, but Zhane shook his head.

"Just one more present," he said, and hopped to his feet. "Well, actually--"

"There's some more stuff in your room," Karone explained. "You'll understand in a minute."

"Okay," Ashley said, a bit uncertainly, but no less cheerfully than she had been a moment before. "Let's see."

Zhane reached into the pocket of his jacket with one hand. He moved his hand around for a moment, as though trying to grasp something that he couldn't quite keep ahold of, before pulling his hand free with much more care than he had reached in with. His free hand covered whatever it was cradled in his palm, but Ashley caught a glimpse of what looked like--_fur?_

"Zhane, what--" she began, but just then he removed his top hand with a flourish. "Oh!" she squealed, leaping forward and flinging her arms around him, carefully. The ball of gray and black fluff resting in his hand was still disturbed, and stirred grouchily, a reproachful glare in its dark eyes. Or as much of its eyes as she could see, anyway--a bright yellow bow was affixed to its head, something it did not look pleased with at all.

"Is that a kitten?" Cassie demanded to know.

"Yup," Zhane said proudly, laughing as Ashley crouched low until she was eye level with the creature. "I think the guy at the pet store called him a tabby."

"Yeah," Ashley said, gently lifting the kitten into her own arms. "He's a tabby cat... Did he come with a name?"

"Funny you should ask," Karone said with a slight giggle. "His name's Oddball."

Cuddling the kitten against her cheek, Ashley almost choked. She caught Karone's eye and the other girl grinned as they both took note of Zhane's baffled expression.

"I love him," she said, quickly swallowing down her laughter. "Thank you so much, Zhane, and you too, Karone."

"Won't he run away out here?" TJ wondered. "What?" He shrugged as they all looked at him. "We used to have a cat. She ran off one day."

"Maybe I'll take him back to the Megaship, then," she mused, gently stroking his fur. "Do you want to see your new home?" she cooed, working the bow loose. Oddball purred, seemingly happy to be free of the annoyance.

"He's staying on the Megaship?" Andros cut in, and though his face and tone were completely neutral, Ashley quickly picked up the impression that he wasn't too pleased.

"Well... my dad's allergic to cats, so I can't really keep him at my house for long," she said, frowning. "But if he'd be in trouble on the Megaship, then I could--"

"No, it's fine," he said quickly, and shrugged. "I just thought... Do you need help taking him there?"

"I think I can handle it," she said, her smile just a little bit forced.

Oddball stirred in her hand and her smile widened. Taking one of his paws, she made a waving motion, giggling when Carlos and Cassie waved back. He purred and she relaxed her hold on him for just a moment, yelping in surprise when he leapt out of her arms.

"Hey!"

Andros jumped visibly when the kitten, still purring loudly, landed on his shoulder. Oddball butted against Andros's neck with his nose, demanding attention from the red ranger. Ashley giggled and reached out quickly to pull her cat off of her boyfriend. An almost reluctant smile spread across Andros's face as he studied Oddball more closely.

"He is cute," he admitted, reaching out to stroke the top of the kitten's head cautiously. "Are you sure you don't need help?"

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "You guys start on the cake, I'll be back in about ten minutes, all right?"

"No problem," Carlos called after her, and she heard TJ laugh his agreement as she began walking away from her friends, searching for a more secluded area from which to teleport back to the Megaship.

**---**

"Excellent," she murmured, studying the images the viewing screen allowed her. Ashley Hammond, yellow Astro Ranger, was striding across the park. She vanished behind a cluster of trees and all the satellite cameras picked up was a sparkle of gold, but it was enough. She was gone, but only for now, and they would be ready when she returned.

"You see him?"

"Even better." Lyra smirked. "I see her."

"The yellow ranger?" He considered that for a moment. "Interesting," he said finally. "But will she do us any good?"

"Oh, she will."

Cosmos raised an eyebrow at her tone. "Lyra..."

"I think we happen to have the right monster lying around here," she shrugged, chewing her lip thoughtfully.

It must have been two years since she had last seen his face during the day. To see him so now made her acutely aware of how few of his expressions she could read with ease. There was nothing about him that she couldn't decipher eventually, but it annoyed her to no end that he knew her face better than she his.

"You have a plan, then," he stated, and smiled. "I--Tell me."

"We capture her," she told him, privately deciding that he needed a uniform without a visor. "Even if the plan fails, she'll still be useful. You said yourself that he cares for her. There's nothing Andros wouldn't do to save someone he cares for from harm."

He stared back at her uncertainly. "He did nothing to save the other girl."

"There was nothing he could do," she reminded him. "He had no clue where we had her, and no way to save her even if he did."

"True," he mused, and then brightened. "And I'm sure that the memory still haunts him. He'll do what we want."

"Exactly." She smiled. "Now let's get going before she comes back and we lose our chance."

"One thing first," he insisted, and she paused.

"What?"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than she felt his lips pressed against hers. She smiled, effectively ending the kiss but not caring. Yes, he definitely needed a uniform without a visor. Then he nodded to her and she teleported them both out to Angel Grove, her world disappearing into a darkness tinged faintly red.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** The Power Rangers are not mine.

**Chapter 3**

Her feet touched ground again just seconds after she teleported, golden sparkles her releasing her back into the world. The grass had more give than the metal decks of the Megaship and Ashley bounced across the softer ground happily, making a beeline for the picnic area she had left her friends at.

The cover of trees that had made the location ideal for teleportation thinned out a moment later, and she was just able to make out the party in the distance when voices behind her had her glancing over her shoulder. Ashley couldn't spot anyone and shrugged it off; probably the sound had carried farther than she'd thought. She turned and kept walking, only to leap back in alarm when something dropped down in front of her.

Ecliptor straightened up while she fell back into a defensive stance. Cosmos appeared to her left a second later and Lyra to her right, all three advancing together. Ashley reached for her morpher without hesitation.

"Let's ro--"

Lyra lunged forward, knocking the morpher from her wrist and sending the both of them tumbling to the ground. Ashley landed hard on her back, the grass cool and slightly damp beneath her skin. Allowing herself only a second to catch her breath, she arched her back and snapped herself back to her feet, hands raised instinctively to block the arm swinging straight for her head.

Surprise flitted across Cosmos's face when she caught his fist, but Ashley didn't pause to gloat over it. She twisted around and threw him over her shoulder, sending him sprawling across the ground on his back. Lyra was waiting for her and Ashley threw herself into a flip to avoid being knocked upside the head with a hurricane kick.

She dropped down into a crouch the moment her feet touched ground again, leaping back up to kick Ecliptor away. He staggered back, not nearly as far as she'd hoped, but enough, and Ashley leapt forward, eyes locked onto the morpher still lying where it had fallen.

Someone landed on her back and Ashley dropped like a stone at the sudden weight, the wind knocked out of her when she hit the ground on her stomach. Lyra scrambled up before Ashley could recover, brushing grass off of herself while Cosmos and Ecliptor hauled Ashley to her feet.

"Hold her still, would you?" Annoyance crossed Lyra's face as she climbed back to her feet. "Body Switcher!"

She snapped her fingers and a monster was at her side in an instant, this one a dark blue creature with red and silver wings. Ashley grit her teeth, bracing herself for what she thought was coming, but to her surprise, Lyra didn't order the monster to attack.

"Her," she said, speaking to the monster. "Make me into her."

"Oh, that's an easy one," he laughed.

Lyra smirked, but Cosmos didn't look pleased. Ashley wasn't so thrilled herself when the monster of the week zapped Lyra and the name 'Body Switcher' suddenly becoming a whole lot clearer. She blinked in surprise when she found herself staring at herself, glancing down to make sure of who she was. She was still Ashley--but so, apparently, was Lyra.

"Perfect."

Ashley gaped; despite Lyra's new appearance, she was still startled to hear her voice emerge from the other girl's mouth. Smiling to herself, Lyra waved away the Body Switcher, who vanished immediately, presumably returning to the Dark Fortress--

The Dark Fortress. That had to be where they were taking her. Ashley lunged forward, ripping one arm free from Ecliptor's grasp, but Cosmos tightened his hold on her other arm before she could twist away from him. Lyra ignored them all, stooping down to retrieve Ashley's morpher.

"This should do it," she declared, slipping it onto her wrist. "Get her out of here."

Ashley had barely opened her mouth to either scream for help or snap a retort when her world disappeared into a shower of gold.

**---**

"Are you gonna eat that?"

Andros rolled his eyes when Zhane dropped down beside him, blue eyes affixed to the paper plate in his hands. "There's plenty of cake right over there. Get your own."

"But you got the corner," Zhane whined. "The other pieces don't have as much frosting."

"I told you that wouldn't work." Karone joined them at the picnic table, laughing quietly. "Here," she said, and passed him a plate that held the remains of a slice of cake. "Frosting."

"Why thank you." Zhane grinned and accepted the plate, feet braced against a nearby tree as he leaned back against the table to eat. "You're sure you don't want this?"

She pondered over that for a moment. "You're sure that you do?"

"You don't like it?" Zhane gasped in mock horror. "Are you feeling okay? You love sweet things."

"Chocolate," she corrected him. "This is too sweet."

"Says you," he retorted, the words losing some of their effect when his mouth was full. "Thanks."

"You're welcome, I think." Karone frowned when she caught Andros's eye. "You're not laughing at him," she noticed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Andros shrugged. "But it seems like Ashley's been gone for a really long time..."

"She's probably just saying goodbye to the kitten," Zhane told him, attention still on his cake. "She'll be back."

"I know that she'll be back." Andros glared at his friend half-heartedly. "But--"

"She's right over there," Karone cut in, shading her eyes with one hand as she peered off in the direction of the sun. "I think..."

"That's her," Andros confirmed, almost leaping to his feet. He heard Zhane mumble something that he couldn't make out around all the frosting, but Karone laughed quietly at his eagerness. He glared at them both, but shrugged, walking forward to meet his girlfriend. "Ashley!"

"Hey," she answered absently, brushing straight past him as she headed for TJ and Cassie. "Hey, guys!"

Andros stared after her, stung. Even when he'd deserved it, Ashley had never just ignored him like that. His stomach coiled anxiously as he wracked his brain in an effort to find what he'd done to bring it about, but he came up blank and sighed.

"What happened?"

Karone was at his side, one of her hands on his arm. He glanced over at his sister and shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what else to do.

"I don't know."

His eyes sought out Ashley again, and spotted her laughing with Carlos and Cassie while TJ brought them all some more cake. Their eyes met for an instant before she glanced away quickly, and his heart sank as he realized something.

"She's not wearing her necklace," he muttered, and let out a sigh. He'd thought that she liked it... "I think I'll go back to the Megaship now," he told her, starting off in the same direction Ashley had taken earlier. "I'll see you later."

"Andros," Karone called after him, and he paused. "Will you be okay?"

"Yeah," he lied, walking forward without glancing back. "I'll be fine."

**---**

This was all working out nicely. Lyra wandered through the halls of the Astro Megaship, taking the time to re-familiarize herself with the ship's layout. The party had broken up not long after Andros had returned to the Megaship, no doubt to sulk.

He was on the bridge now, had been for some time, and would be there for a long time more, she suspected. Perfect. While he sat around brooding, she would take down his teammates, one by one.

She'd never met anyone quite that needy, she reflected with an annoyed sigh. Andros had never been jealous, exactly, but whenever they were together, he had always **needed** something from her. A hug or a kiss or some words of reassurance from her; he needed something every moment of the day, and not just from her. The team had supported each other without question, but Andros was clueless when it came to comforting someone. Almost as clueless as he was when it came to figuring out on his own what people were thinking without having it spelled out for him. And even then...

Lyra grinned to herself. With his brains, she'd have his entire team captured and be back on the Dark Fortress herself before it occured to him that anyone was even missing. Without a doubt, he would give whatever he was ordered to in order to save them, be it his morpher or his own life. Of course, the rangers could never be allowed to go free, but Andros wouldn't have a choice. He'd take whatever chances he had to in order to save his team, and then--

Her smirk widened at the thought of the once-proud red ranger on his knees before her and Cosmos, begging for their lives. He would beg and then he would watch them die--slowly, of course; slowly enough that their screams would be branded forever into his mind. By the time they were through, Andros would be begging them to kill him as well. And then they wouldn't.

Lyra frowned, pondering who should go first. His sister, maybe? No... Karone should be one of the last. The yellow and silver rangers too; they were the three that meant the most to him. He would be sick with fear for them after watching what they had in mind for the other three. Blue, pink, or black, then, she mused, and sighed. Choices...

"Hey, Ash," a voice called after her as she passed by the Simudeck. The door was open and she backtracked to see the black ranger working out in a gym. She hid a smile, deciding that there was no better place to start.

"Hey, Carlos," she responded with an easy smile. "Need some help working out?"

"Could you put a little more weight on this?" he asked.

"Sure." She nodded and took a step into the Simudeck, her grin uncontainable now. One ranger down already and Andros was completely clueless.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 4**

Andros tapped his fingers idly against the weapons console, a frown on his face as he glanced to his left. He had work to do, and he could do it much better from his own station than Ashley's, but that posed a bit of a problem--his seat was currently taken and its occupant showed no signs of being willing to move at any time soon.

He sighed and swiveled both seats around to face each other. The motion did nothing to disturb Oddball and the kitten slept on while Andros watched, a rueful smile appearing on his face. He was cute... or would have been, if he hadn't been fast asleep in the chair Andros needed to sit in, nails dug deep into the leather seat and a content smile upon his face as he napped.

"Wake up," he muttered, giving the kitten a less than gentle poke to the stomach.

Oddball didn't stir, and Andros rolled his eyes. Carefully now, he worked one hand beneath the kitten, scooping him up into his hands and attempting to swap seats without waking the sleeping cat. It didn't work out quite the way he wanted it to; Oddball's eyes snapped open just as Andros was setting him down and he almost dropped the kitten in surprise.

Andros quickly slid into his seat before Oddball could decide he wanted it back, receiving a disgruntled glare as Oddball stretched lazily. The kitten sat back and cocked his head at the red ranger, meowing when Andros pretended to ignore him.

Even with one eye on the cat, Andros didn't catch the motion and yelped in surprise and a little bit of pain when Oddball jumped for him. He didn't quite make it, his front paws landing on Andros's leg, claws dug in to support himself while his hind legs dangled in the air and kicked around in search of more solid ground. With a sigh, Andros reached down and pulled the kitten the rest of the way onto his lap, rewarded with a happy purr.

"That hurts, you know," he grumbled, shifting around as claws began kneading into his knee.

Oddball purred and butted his head against the hand meant to pull him away. Andros half-smiled when the claws pulled out of his skin, laughing a little when the kitten continued to demand attention by nuzzling against his hand.

"Fine," he muttered, and ran his hand along the kitten's back. Satisfied, Oddball turned himself around and curled up on Andros's lap, purring loudly as Andros scratched between his ears.

"Andros?"

He glanced up but didn't turn when he heard Zhane's voice from behind him, waiting instead until the silver ranger slid into Cassie's seat. Oddball perked up and gave Andros's hand a lick before hopping over into Zhane's lap and proceeded to climb all over him.

"Hey--Ow! You need your claws trimmed," Zhane informed the kitten, using one hand to pry him off of his arm, and then tickling his stomach when Oddball rolled over. "Where's your mommy at?"

"Mommy?" Andros raised an eyebrow, and Zhane rolled his eyes at him.

"Where's your Ashley, then?" he questioned, as though he expected an answer. "Where is Ashley, anyway?" he repeated, more seriously now. "Have you seen her since the party?"

"No." Andros sighed. "I haven't seen her since I left."

"What's going on?" Zhane shot him a curious look. "You've been here for hours."

"I know." He shrugged. "I have work to do."

"Really."

"Yes," he said, trying not to snap. "I do."

"Andros--"

He glanced over when Zhane broke off, alarmed to see his friend's face pale visibly. Oddball jumped down when Andros gripped Zhane by the shoulders, holding him upright until he was staring into the other's eyes again.

"What's wrong?" he demanded, releasing Zhane slowly, ready to support him longer if he couldn't do it on his own.

"I..." Zhane blinked in confusion and then his eyes widened. "Deca!" he shouted. "Where's Karone?"

**---**

"We have got to get out of here."

Carlos was directly across the cell from her and Ashley tried not to roll her eyes, knowing that he would see. "Any ideas?"

Carlos didn't answer, and she sighed. "I can't believe I'm here two times in less than one day," she muttered, wincing as the chains pulled on her arms. She strained her head towards the side, unsuccessfully struggling to get a good look at her friend's wrists. "Did Lyra take your morpher too?"

"She took yours?" Carlos paused, and then added, "That would explain how she got onto the ship, then... I should still have mine. I stuck it in my pocket when I started working out."

"So if we could get you down, you could get to it?"

He nodded. "Any ideas?"

"Do share them," Cosmos broke in, lounging comfortably against the cell door. "I'd be very interested in hearing them."

"Hey," Carlos snapped, clearly irritated. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to eavesdrop?"

"Probably," Cosmos shrugged.

Ashley rolled her eyes when Carlos retorted, closing her eyes as the two bickered back and forth in a mostly pathetic attempt at machoism on both their parts. She closed her eyes and tried to think over their voices, coming up blank each time she tried to figure a way out of the mess they were in.

"Will you two stop it?" Her outburst earned her a sour look from Carlos and an amused on from Cosmos, but she didn't particularly care at the moment.

"**Thank** you." Ashley sighed, trying to think more clearly this time, only to be interrupted by Karone being teleported into the cell.

Her body dropped down limply to the floor; she was apparently unconscious. Cosmos regarded her still form for a moment, his attention then diverted when Carlos spat another curse at him. Ashley sighed and tilted her head back against the wall, frowning when Carlos caught her eye. His gaze flicked down to Karone and then back up to her so quickly she wasn't even sure he had even looked away.

He had a plan. Unfortunately for them, she wasn't the only one to pick up on his train of thought; Cosmos decided Karone should join them in being chained against the wall and hauled her to her feet.

She wasn't unconscious. Cosmos grunted when one fist slammed into his abdomen, almost releasing her in order to clasp both hands to his stomach as instinct demanded. Karone couldn't quite pull herself free, though, and was soon standing next to Carlos, arms drawn up above her head.

"That wasn't very nice, little sister," he warned. Ashley would have sworn she saw a small smirk form on Karone's face when Cosmos clutched his stomach with one hand, and she had to smile herself. Little sister or not, Karone hit hard.

"Don't go anywhere." Cosmos chuckled to himself as he backed out of the door.

"Ashley!" Karone's eyes landed on her for the first time. "How long have you been here?"

"I was ambushed on the way back to the party. Why?" she wondered.

"Oh... I--I just wanted to make sure that it was you I saw this morning," Karone said with a sideways glance at Carlos. "I'm guessing that was Lyra I saw on the Megaship, then."

Ashley nodded. "Are we the only one's she's gotten to?"

"I think so." Karone paused, her smirk more clearly defined now. "And someone's bound to notice that she doesn't look quite the way she did before she attacked me--the black eyes might be hard to explain."

"Nice," Carlos said, impressed, with a rueful smile admitting, "I didn't even see it coming."

"And neither will anyone else if we don't get out of here," Ashley reminded them. "We don't have much time, you guys."

_"I know."_ It was Karone's voice, but her mouth hadn't moved.

"What--" Carlos began, but she shushed him with a pointed look.

_"Telepathy,"_ she told them, and then rushed on without another word of explanation. _"You two won't be able to answer me this way, and he'll know something's up if you talk normally. Do either of you still have your morphers?"_

Relief washed across her face when Carlos nodded his head once. _"Good,"_ she said, her tone almost smug now. _"Then this is what we'll do..."_

**---**

Damn her. Lyra touched her left eye and winced at the tenderness of her skin. She hadn't remembered Karone being that good of a hit. With a sigh, she waved a hand across her face, a faint golden light shining against her closed eyelids. She tapped her eyelid again and smiled; the swelling was gone and the pain was hardly perceptible any longer.

Double checking to be sure both her eyes were normal and that her nose had stopped bleeding, she turned and left Ashley's bathroom, intending to hunt down the pink ranger next and this time, she wasn't going to let her guard down. The door slid open smoothly for her and she stepped out of the room, stopping short when she plowed into Andros.

"Ashley," he yelped, reaching out to steady her. "Sorry--Have you seen Karone?"

"Karone?" She frowned, eyebrows knit together in what she hoped was a thoughtful expression. "Not since the party. Why?"

"She's missing," he explained, glancing up and down the corridors as though he expected her to pop out of the walls. Worry filled his eyes as he stared at her, hesitating before he muttered, "Something's wrong with her. I can feel it, and Zhane does, too..."

Lyra grimaced inwardly. Just what she needed; Andros clinging to her while she was supposed to be tracking down his team. He was just so... pathetic was a good word for it, she decided as she stepped forward and wrapped him in her arms. How the yellow ranger could stand him, she didn't know.

"It'll be okay," she whispered in his ear. "I'm sure she's fine."

"Yeah," he murmured, still unconvinced, and she tried her hardest not to sigh. "But we can't find Carlos anywhere, either."

"You think they just went down to Angel Grove together?" she tried hopefully. With any luck, he'd be running around the mall all day looking for them.

"No." Andros pulled back until they were almost eye to eye. "If Zhane says there's something wrong with Karone, then there's something wrong with Karone."

"Andros..." Lyra sighed. "Do you have any ideas where she is?"

"Cosmos and Lyra weren't too happy with what happened last night." Andros glanced away, but not before she had seen the sudden, sharp pain in his eyes. "I think... they'd go for you guys to get back at me."

So he was smarter than she'd thought. He remembered vividly what they were capable of as well, and if he wouldn't have questioned it, she would have smiled. Good; let the memories torture him for a little longer. It would all be reality soon enough.

"Ash?"

"Hmm?"

The look on his face could only be described as uncertain. Lyra smiled at him and frowned inwardly, wondering if he suspected anything. He couldn't possibly... She hadn't slipped up, and with his worry for Karone on top of it all... No, she decided firmly. There was no way that Andros thought that she was anything but maybe a little bit distracted.

"Are you feeling all right?" he ventured, a frown on his face. "You've been acting a little strange since you came back to the party..."

"I'm fine, silly," she assured him, faintly surprised when he laid one hand alongside her cheek. It had only taken her a few moments to piece together that he had finally worked up the courage to admit his feelings to the yellow ranger, but the fact that he was so openly affectionate was startling.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am," she said, her tone just the tiniest bit indignant. "Let's go find the others, shall we? We'll need them if we're going to track down Karone and Carlos."

"Right." He sighed and tried to smile at her. "Thanks, Ash."

"Any time." Lyra smiled, and pondered over what the yellow ranger would do next.

She sighed inwardly; it was an easy conclusion, really. Still... Andros hadn't been that horrible of a kisser and morbid curiosity prompted her to wonder just how far she could go before the bond between her and Cosmos began to suffer. Not that she would ever betray her soulmate; it was just... interesting.

Andros tensed when she pressed her lips to his, and she almost froze herself. It wasn't much, just enough to tell her that she'd slipped up after all. Lyra kicked herself silently when he pulled away and shot her a tight, empty smile. She shouldn't have done that--but then Andros turned quickly and headed down the corridor without a word and she felt her smile return.

So she'd made a mistake. Lyra snapped her fingers quietly and felt the cool metal of her staff appear in her hand. It was one easily rectified.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, not for profit, please don't sue.

**Chapter 5**

Andros stumbled down the hall, stomach churning. He felt sick, but knew that he had to keep walking. He hadn't hidden his reaction as well as he could have, and her footsteps were following him down the hall, so quietly that he nearly didn't hear her. Somehow, he kept moving forward without glancing back over his shoulder to see how close she was now.

_"Andros?"_ Zhane's voice rang in his ears, drowning out the soft tap of Lyra's boots against the metal decks. _"Karone's fine, for now and so's Carlos, but Ashley isn't Ashley and--"_

_"And Lyra's impersonating her,"_ he finished, wondering why Karone couldn't have filled Zhane in just a minute or two more quickly. _"I know. I'm on Megadeck Three; get over here **now**."_

_"On it,"_ Zhane replied almost cheerfully. _"Hang on."_

Andros let out a deep breath when Zhane's presence in his mind retreated, his sense of the other dimming considerably but not vanishing completely. It was impossible now to distance himself from Zhane or Karone entirely; the best that he would do was push them to the very edge of his awareness and hope that they understood that he didn't want to be disturbed.

She'd gained on him, he realized with a grimace. The soft tap of her feet against the deck was louder now, and the sounds were coming closer together. Andros slowed his pace and braced himself, using the sound of her footsteps to judge when he would have to turn and face her.

"Andros, get **down**!"

Someone tackled him, sending both of them to the ground as another pair of boots rushed past him and the air whistled overhead. Andros glanced up to see TJ grappling with Lyra and her staff while Cassie scrambled to her feet and offered him a hand up.

"You okay?"

He nodded and let her pull him to his feet. "Come on," he shouted, rushing forward to help TJ with her right beside him.

A shout from down the hall signaled Zhane's arrival, the silver ranger already morphed with weapon in hand. The four of them formed a circle around Lyra, slowly advancing on her.

"Where are our friends?" Zhane demanded.

Lyra arched one eyebrow at him in disdain. "Where else would they be?"

"Don't think you're going anywhere until they're back here," Zhane growled, and caught her arm. "And that doesn't belong to you anymore."

Andros started when Zhane tossed Ashley's morpher to him, and slipped it into his pocket sheepishly. He'd completely forgotten to wonder **how** Lyra had ended up on the Megaship.

"This one was never yours," Zhane continued, pulling Karone's morpher off of her other arm. Lyra didn't so much as blink at him, and Andros felt his heart sink.

"What are you here for?" he demanded, pushing past Cassie and Zhane until he was eye to eye with her. He could guess well enough, but just in case he was wrong...

"If you really care to know, the plan was to capture your teammates and then kill them in front of you if you didn't meet our demands," she explained calmly. A smirk played across her face as she continued, "But we do have the black, yellow, and violet rangers, and I consider that a good enough start, don't you?"

"If you've hurt them," he began, cut off by a roll of her eyes.

"You're in no position to be making threats," she said coolly. "If I wanted them to be, your friends would be dead within a minute."

Andros opened his mouth to retort and then realized the truth of that statement. Lyra caught his eye and smiled, her twisted expression utterly unnerving when it was Ashley's face that he saw.

**---**

"Aren't you done yet?" Carlos muttered to Karone, and hoped that he'd kept his voice low enough. "It won't be long before someone thinks to check up on us."

"Almost," she murmured back, her tone far more patient than he felt. "But telekinesis is hard enough when I can see what I'm trying to move."

"Right," he sighed. "Sorry."

Karone didn't reply, presumably returning her attention to working his morpher out of his pocket and into his hands. Carlos let his head fall back against the wall, but not before he'd caught Ashley's eye. She shot him a quick, empty smile of encouragement, and he sighed, giving the chains above his head a short, useless tug.

Yet another reward of being a Power Ranger, he thought wryly. He sighed. That wasn't entirely fair; there were plenty of benefits to being a ranger. They were just harder to remember when he was chained to the wall of a dungeon cell on an enemy ship, and rangers of Earth didn't have the same perks as the rest of the universe anyway.

Thoughts of what his life could have been if Earth was the pre-war KO-35 Zhane and Karone had spoken of amused him for the next few minutes. He could almost picture all the fame and glory and adoring public... It was a nice fantasy, he decided ruefully, but as appealing as that lifestyle sounded at the moment, he knew that privacy would sound far better once he was safely back on the Megaship.

Karone let out a sigh, and the sound snapped him out of his daydream. Carlos fully expected her to give up for a moment to rest her head, but then he saw Ashley's smile widen and felt something brush against his fingertips. She eased his morpher carefully into the palm of her hand and he grabbed onto it the best that he could.

"Got it?" she muttered, and he nodded. "Then hurry," she hissed. "We've got to get out of here before Lyra gets someone else."

Slowly, not wanting to drop the morpher and force them to start all over again, Carlos felt around for the catch. He knew the placement of the numbers by heart now, and once he'd flipped the top open, it was almost as easy as it had always been.

"Let's rocket!"

No sooner had the cry left his mouth than he felt his Astroblaster snap into Karone's hands. Carlos ducked his head down, praying that she was as good a shot with her arms like that than she was normally. Fortunately for them all, she was, and he sidestepped out of the way as the chains clattered to the ground.

Someone had to have heard that. Karone dropped the blaster back into his hands and he wasted no time in freeing her. She grabbed the Astroblaster out of his hands another time when footsteps sounded outside the door, heading for Ashley and jerking her head towards the door.

"Lunar lance," he muttered under his breath, falling into a defensive stance as the cell door grated open.

"Ecliptor," Cosmos sighed, "get them."

"As you wish."

"I don't think so," Ashley shot back, and Carlos ducked instinctively as something exploded just behind his left ear. "You about ready to get out of here?"

"Hey, watch where you're shooting that thing!" He flipped open his morpher and glanced to the side. "Karone?"

"Go!" she shouted back. "What are you waiting for?"

That was a very good question, Carlos decided as Ecliptor's sword nearly took off Ashley's head. Watching her kick him away out of the corner of his eye, he raised his morpher to his mouth and shouted for Deca to bring them back.

**---**

"What **do** you want, then?" TJ demanded.

Lyra cocked her head at him and gave her hair a quick shake. It wasn't a very effective move; Ashley had curled her hair that day and it bounced back an instant later. "If you really are this clueless," she said finally, "then I pity the people of Earth."

Andros clenched his hands into fists, desperately struggling to think up something that he could do, anything that would give them something to work with. He didn't dare say a word that would risk the lives of the three that she'd already captured, but standing around and doing absolutely nothing wasn't helping them at all and was going to drive him crazy if it went on much longer.

"Ashley, Karone, and Carlos have returned to the ship," Deca spoke up, and his head snapped up.

"Are they okay?" He tried to keep his voice calm, but his stomach was twisting around anxiously, to the point where he was a moment away from becoming violently ill.

"They seem to be," Deca assured him, and he let out a deep breath.

Annoyance flickered across Lyra's face at the news. It was gone as quickly as it had come, her haughty smirk back in place an instant later. "Time to go," she laughed, and dissolved into golden sparkles before any of them could act.

Andros frowned. Yellow was Ashley's color now and to see it on anyone else was unsettling, but seeing that Lyra still retained that much from her years as a ranger only added to his irritation.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. He sighed and glanced to the side, almost drawing back into a fighting stance when he found himself face to face with Ashley. But this really was Ashley, he realized a moment later. The necklace he'd given her that morning was tucked beneath her shirt now, but the chain still hung around her neck, and he smiled to see it there. His eyes flicked back up to hers to find her smiling at him and that was all that it took to convince him that this really was Ashley he was looking at.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He heard the anxiety creep into his voice and hoped that she wouldn't; it wasn't that he didn't want her to know that he'd been worried, but he knew that she could take care of herself and he suddenly felt as if he should have known that she would be perfectly all right.

"I'm fine," she said, and he smiled at her, his arms pulling her close without thinking. The scent of vanilla wafted up into his nose

"I--"

"The Body Switcher is attacking Angel Grove," Deca reported, and Andros sighed.

"Let's go," he sighed, and stepped back. "Ready?"

"I believe this is yours," Zhane startled him by saying, and he glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Karone accept her morpher back.

"And this is yours, Ash," he remembered, and reached into his pocket to pull out her morpher. She took it from him with a grateful smile and slid it back onto her wrist, fastening the strap tight.

"Ready," she said, and he nodded, his eyes taking in the rest of them.

"Let's rocket!" he shouted, and saw them mimic his arm movements. The moment the words had left his mouth, he tensed, the night before playing itself out in his mind. It had worked then, but barely, and if he couldn't help them now, he didn't know what he would have done.

The same feeling of fire running through his body swept over him once again, and he almost couldn't keep from crying out. The pain was gone in an instant, though, and to his immense relief, the Power reacted to him much more quickly than it had the night before. The suit took only a moment longer to appear around him than it did to any of the others, and Andros decided that was a step in the right direction.

"Let's go," he ordered. With that, he turned and headed for the jump tubes with them only a step behind as a faint smile fought its way across his face. He was back with a team, back right where he belonged.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 6**

This was rapidly becoming old, Andros decided, taking an instinctive step closer to his teammates as he surveyed the thirty story monster wreaking havoc across Angel Grove. And this was only his first battle, too, he reflected wryly, wondering what the other rangers must think of routinely defeating each monster twice. He wondered what Cosmos and Lyra must think. He wondered why he had chosen now to think about that.

There would be time for this later, he scolded himself, snapped back into reality as the Body Switcher shrieked incoherently. He glanced over his shoulder at his fellow rangers as though he could see them through their visors, and nodded once.

"Ready?" he inquired pointlessly. He received six nods in return as expected, and raised his morpher up to where his mouth. "Mega Voyager, transform!"

"Mega Winger," Zhane called into his own morpher, summoning the zord that he shared with Karone. The evacuees on Centaur B had built the sleek zord for them when it had become apparent that the two remaining Karovan rangers were in dire need of firepower, and with all seven morphers now in use, it was an added bonus that made for quicker battles.

The sky darkened as the shadows of the two Megazords spread out across the ground. Andros followed TJ, Carlos, Cassie, and Ashley into the Mega Voyager, the fact that he had absolutely no clue how to control the thing dawning on him as he took a quick glance around the cockpit.

It couldn't be impossibly hard, he decided, taking his seat calmly. There were five stations, as there were on the Megaship. The zord had no need for a flight control console, but Andros supposed he had the equivalent for a zord, whatever that was. Zord control? A look down at his controls confirmed that suspicion. So he was supposed to make the zord move, then, he thought, relieved. He could control the Megaship, and there wasn't such a huge difference between he Megship and the Mega Voyager.

"Cassie, shields?" he questioned, quickly testing out the controls and discovering that the Mega Voyager was far more responsive to subtle commands than the Megaship was.

"At full," she reported.

"Weapons?"

"Ready when you are," Ashley said briskly, a smile in her voice.

"Thrusters?"

"Full power," TJ assured him.

Andros paused. He was forgetting something important. "Engines?" he asked finally, and hoped he didn't sound too sheepish. He was going to have to put in some serious hours with the zords until he knew what he was doing.

"Powered up," Carlos responded. "You guys ready?"

"Ready," Andros heard a chorus of answers and smiled to himself. Despite his tendency to isolate himself from others, in battle he was always grateful for the security that his teammates brought.

He gave the controls a slight tweak, keeping one eye on the success Zhane and Karone were having holding off the monster on their own. As long as they were as safe as could be expected under the circumstances, he could afford a few moment to give himself a crash course in piloting the Mega Voyager.

"It's just like a video game," Cassie told him. "You move the stick forward, we move forward."

"Right," he agreed distractedly. Carefully, he put the zord into motion, maneuvering a little jerkily around some buildings. By the time he pulled up alongside Zhane and Karone, the movements had smoothed out, and all he had to do now was throw in some combat moves on top of keeping them on their feet.

The Body Switcher must have caught Zhane by surprise; the Mega Winger stumbled slightly, and that was all the warning Andros had before he found himself clumsily blocking punches. His fingers gripped the controls, his entire body stiff as he concentrated.

He was concentrating too hard, he realized a moment later. There was a dull ringing in his ears, and his head was swimming now too, everything he saw being either too bright or too dark. Giving his head a quick shake, he relaxed his grip slightly, grimacing to feel his hands sweating inside his gloves.

"We've got a clear shot, Andros," Ashley called, and he nodded to her.

He saw a bright flash as the Mega-V 3 appeared as a missile, and his fingers reflexively curled tighter around the controls. They were too close. If he fired now, the Mega Voyager would take some serious damage and probably the Mega Winger would as well. Carefully, and as quickly as he dared, Andros tugged back on the controls, putting the zord into reverse.

He had the Mega Voyager right where he wanted it when his head throbbed in pain, causing him to see stars for several seconds. Wincing, Andros let his hands still on the control console. He closed his eyes, the overgrown Body Switcher momentarily slipping from his thoughts as his concentration was completely diverted by the Power. Something was wrong with it. It might have been two years since he had last fought, but he distinctly remembered that wearing the suit wasn't supposed to cause side effects.

He snuck a quick glance over his shoulder to be sure no one was paying any attention to him. The other rangers all faced him, but were too distracted with their own work and there was no way that Zhane and Karone could see him all the way from the Mega Winger.

Andros let his head slump forward a little and clenched his teeth. He had to focus. What was wrong with him? The fight hadn't been either a lengthy one nor a particularly difficult one, yet the Power was protesting against it. Against him.

"Andros?"

"Yeah?" His head jerked up and he half-turned to stare at the blue ranger.

"Awaiting your orders," TJ responded calmly. "Zhane and Karone can't hold him much longer and we have a clear shot. We should take it."

"Right," he agreed, and let out a sigh that he hoped no one heard. "Fire on my command."

He paused, waiting for the Mega Winger to move just a few feet to the left. Andros knew that Zhane would take the zord into the air to avoid the blast, but he didn't to put them at more risk than they already were. Quickly turning impatient, he gave his friend a mental nudge, the order to fire following a moment later.

His headache intensified when the others behind him cheered, sharp pain stabbing at him. Maybe he needed to talk to Deca after all, he thought glumly. The Power surge the night before he almost would have expected, if he'd thought about it long enough, and possibly the one before this fight, but definitely not the headache.

"Let's get out of here," he suggested, hands moving for the controls. No one argued against that, and Andros headed for the Megaship as quickly as he could.

The pounding in his head subsided the moment he demorphed and he frowned, now certain that it definitely had something to do with the Power. He really should get Deca to take a look at him. And he would, he decided. Really, he would. But first, there was something else that he needed to do.

**---**

"Who's there?" Ashley called distractedly, not pulling her head out of the closet to open the door. It wasn't locked and she was more than a little surprised that whoever it was hadn't just barged in already, as was their usual habit. When she heard Andros's voice reply, though, she decided that she could use a break and hurried across the room to let him in.

"Hi," he said, eyes anywhere but on her as he shifted his arms around awkwardly. "Can I come in?"

"That was the idea here," she smiled, stepping back to leave the doorway wide open. "And you don't have to knock, you know. No one else does."

"They always do when they're looking for me." He shrugged, finally looking at her. "I wanted to make sure that you were okay..."

His voice trailed off, and it warmed her heart to see the worry clear in his soft eyes. Smiling to alleviate his concerns, Ashley slid both her arms around him in a hug, her chin resting on his shoulder as he returned the embrace.

"I'm fine," she promised. "Maybe a few bruises, but Lyra just wanted to get us to the Dark Fortress, and Cosmos didn't seem interested in hurting us."

"Yet," Andros said quietly, his arms briefly tightening around her waist. "They would have killed all of you."

"But they didn't, did they?" Ashley gave his neck one last quick squeeze before drawing out of his arms. "And they're not going to," she told him firmly. "I'm fine and so's everyone else, and we're staying that way."

If nothing else, her determination could always bring a smile to his face. "Yeah," he agreed, his spirits lightening considerably when she grinned back at him. "You'll be fine."

"Glad we're clear on that," she told him cheerfully. "Sit down for a few minutes," she continued, gesturing towards her bed. "I'll just be a second..."

"I can go," he began, but Ashley shook her head and he fell silent.

"You're not interrupting anything," she assured him, talking over her shoulder when she headed back to her closet. "I'm having dinner with my parents and I just need to get changed, that's all."

"It's dinnertime already?" How long had the fight lasted?

"Not quite," she said, still digging through her closet. "But before we can get to the restaurant, my parents have to tell me how far I've come in the last year and make me promise all sorts of things for the next one... You know, good grades, no drugs, things like that."

"Oh." Andros wasn't quite sure how to respond to that. The mention of her parents caused his mind to drift back to his own mother and father, not dead even a month yet and already he was beginning to forget them. Not that this was anything new, after the two years he'd spent apart from them, he'd found that he couldn't quite summon up their faces, but they were gone forever this time...

"Hey," he heard, the mattress dipping as Ashley sank down beside him. "What's wrong?"

He took a deep breath when she pulled him into her arms, exhaling slowly. "Nothing," he muttered, the momentary wave of sadness passing. "I'm fine," he added, more steadily now.

"Are you?"

Andros nodded, catching her in an impulsive hug when she released him. "Thanks," he murmured, and she nodded her understanding as he pressed a warm kiss to her lips, his mouth lingering near hers as a smile formed. If she beamed at him like that after every kiss, he was going to have to start doing it more often, he decided with a grin of his own.

"I should go now," she muttered regretfully, slowly drawing away from him and then heading back to her closet.

"I'll let you get dressed, then," he said. "I'll see you tonight, I guess."

"Actually, probably tomorrow morning," she said, a simple yellow blouse in her hands. "I think I'm sleeping at home for once."

"Tomorrow morning, then," he amended, disappointed that he wouldn't have more time with her until the next day, but unable to recall her spending the night in her own home more than four times in the month that she had been on the Megaship.

"Have fun," he remembered to add on his way out the door, unable to help himself from planting one more quick kiss on her lips.

"Thanks," Ashley smiled at him as she disappeared into her bathroom, and Andros took the hint. He heard her call "Bye!" after him as he left her room and smiled to himself, the expression becoming a yawn. Suddenly sleepy, he turned into his own room and collapsed on his bunk, his good mood lingering despite his tiredness.

He was going to ask Deca about his headache, he remembered abruptly, wondering for a moment whether his exhaustion had anything to do with the Power as well. Deciding that whatever it was could wait until he'd taken a quick nap, Andros gave Deca orders to wake him in an hour and kicked off his boots, tumbling into a peaceful sleep with Ashley's face in his mind and a faint smile on his lips.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** The Power Rangers are not mine.

**Chapter 7**

_Andros..._ Ashley blinked bleary eyes open, yawned, and then frowned. Something wasn't right. The corners of her mouth twitched up into a silly smile as she realized that the only thing that felt out of place was that he wasn't there. You've fallen way too hard, she told herself, but she didn't particularly care, and when had that ever stopped her, anyway?

Well, she decided, yawning again as she rolled out of bed, she'd just have to do something about that. Her smile now a grin, she scrambled out of her pajamas and into the shower, dressing as hastily as she could while still putting at least **some** thought into her outfit. She slid her yellow-banded communicator back onto her wrist and grabbed up her purse before teleporting directly from her room to the Megaship, wondering if Andros was up to breakfast, and not the kind that came from the Synthetron, either.

"Deca, where's Andros?" Her voice was slightly muffled as she covered her mouth with one hand, her body not quite as awake as her mind.

"Andros is still in bed," Deca informed her after a long pause. "I am unable to wake him."

"He slept through your alarm again, didn't he?" Ashley giggled when Deca didn't reply. "You really should turn the sound up, Deca, especially for Andros and Zhane."

Deca ignored her and Ashley grinned to herself, her mood sobering the moment her eyes landed on Andros. His door hadn't been locked, and slid open silently to reveal him sprawled out across his bunk, still in his uniform. The blankets had been kicked off sometime during the night and he was sweating, fingers clenched around the sheets and his face screwed up in an unmistakably pained expression.

"Andros," she muttered, rushing across the room to kneel down beside his bed and give his shoulder a less than gentle shake. "C'mon, Andros, wake up..."

He jerked awake without much encouragement, bolting upright as his eyes snapped open. Tense, he didn't move, only gasping for air with his hands still balled into fists.

Ashley laid a timid hand on his shoulder, saddened to only feel him stiffen further. "Andros?" she asked worriedly.

He drew in a deep breath and let it out evenly, tension flowing out of him almost too quickly. He turned slowly to look at her then, and Ashley smiled faintly. She moved up to sit beside him, carefully sliding her arms around him. He didn't return the hug, but seemed grateful for the comfort, so she held him silently as his breathing slowly leveled out. He was still sweating, his clothes soaked through and his hair plastered to the sides of his face.

"Are you okay?" she murmured when he'd relaxed a little more, hoping that he was calm enough to talk to.

"Yeah," he muttered, trying to hide his embarrassment. "It was just a dream."

"If you're sure," Ashley relented, arms still around him. She paused, drawing away enough to study his haunted, slightly dazed expression. "As long as you're okay."

"I'm fine," he assured her, banishing away the last lingering images of his nightmare. _It was just a dream..._ "What are you doing here?"

Andros noticed that Ashley didn't appear surprised by the abrupt change of topic. "Looking for you, what else?" Her voice was only slightly less cheerful than he was used to, and she continued, "I thought maybe we could go down to Angel Grove, and get some breakfast or something."

He wasn't hungry. "Sounds good," he found himself agreeing, even able to smile at her. "Just let me take a shower first. Wait here if you want, I'll only be a minute."

"Okay, then." Ashley nodded at him as he quickly dug some clean clothes out of his drawers and vanished into his bathroom. True to his word, Andros padded barefoot back into the room again no more than five minutes later, dressed in loose pair of jeans and a red button down shirt worn open over a white tank top, his hair hanging down in damp tangles around his face. It looked all brown when it was wet, she noted, and smiled.

He was just so... cute, she decided, watching him pull on some shoes and socks. "You ready?" she asked while he brushed out his hair.

"Almost," he promised, and gestured towards his hair. "I just need to--"

"Leave it down," she suggested impulsively, struck with the sudden urge to run her fingers through his hair. "It looks cute that way," she told him when he looked at her in surprise, and then tried not to smile when his cheeks tinged faintly pink.

"It does," she insisted, pulling the brush out of his reach and taking him by the hand. "Now come on!"

"Where are we going?" he wanted to know, letting himself be pulled to his feet without protest. Leaving the Megaship even for a few moments didn't seem like such a bad idea. Ashley didn't reply, only tapping at her morpher and catching his hand again as they teleported out together. He wrapped his fingers around hers and glanced around their new location curiously. This part of Angel Grove was still unfamiliar to him.

"Come on," Ashley said cheerfully, giving his arm a quick tug to get him moving. "There's a little café right over here, I think."

She pointed, and he squinted into the early morning sunlight, just barely able to make out the sign designating the coffee shop halfway down the block. He looked at Ashley again, but she was walking towards it, her hand still in his, so he shrugged and followed her.

"Two of you?" a waitress asked, showing them to a small booth when Ashley nodded. "My name's Katie and I'll be your server today. Can I get you anything to start with?"

"Just two glasses of water for now, please," Ashley smiled and took the menu Katie handed her. "Thanks."

"What are you getting?" Andros stared at his menu, slightly overwhelmed as he studied the two pages of breakfast options that he had never heard of before.

"Um... not sure yet," Ashley scanned the menu quickly and then noticed his confusion. "Have you tried pancakes yet?"

"Should I?"

Ashley nodded. "They put blueberries and whipped cream on them here."

Andros opened his mouth and then closed it again, shrugging at her. "All right," he agreed, and she tried not to giggle as she realized that his exposure to Earth cuisine was so far limited to Adelle's cheeseburgers and fries.

"Blueberries are a fruit and whipped cream is... it's sweet," she said finally. "And fluffy."

Andros hesitated, closing his menu and taking a sip of the water Katie had just set down before them. "I'll have whatever you have," he decided, setting his menu down at the end of the table.

"You two ready to order?" she inquired, notepad in one hand and a pen poised to write in the other.

"We'll each have the strawberry waffles with whipped cream," Ashley said, glancing quickly at the beverage menu. "And orange juice to drink, please. And no," she added in an undertone as Katie left with their order, "I'm not going to tell you what that is."

Andros wrinkled his nose at her, but then shrugged. They passed a few minutes in an almost comfortable silence, Andros fiddling unconsciously with the silverware in front of him as his eyes darted around the room. Ashley watched him fidget around, opening her mouth once or twice to say something before thinking better of it. Instead, she reached across the table and laid one hand gently on his, startled when he jumped visibly.

"You can relax, you know," she reminded him. He let out a deep breath and she saw a rueful smile flicker across his face. "It's not like Cosmos and Lyra are sitting right behind us."

Andros paused, contemplating that for a moment. He set his silverware back down on the table, carefully and quickly shooting a glance over his shoulder. Ashley stifled a giggle when he turned back around, catching his hands for no other reason than she felt like doing so. He only shrugged her another time, a bit embarrassed, but not looking like he minded when she twined her fingers through his.

"See?" Ashley smiled. "Perfectly safe."

His lips turned up into a faint smile, tone apologetic as he explained, "I'm not always... comfortable around other people..."

"I've noticed," she assured him dryly. "I understand."

Andros relaxed at her words, settling back a little more into his seat and generally looking much more comfortable than he had been since they had left the Megaship. She tried not to sigh when he fell silent again; Andros certainly wasn't the most talkative of people and she would never expect him to be, but it didn't escape her notice that he was quieter than normal, even for him. He was staring out of the window, eyes slightly glazed, and Ashley had a sudden hunch that she knew what he was thinking about.

"Andros?" She gave his fingers a light squeeze. "You okay?"

Her voice snapped him out of his daze and gave his head a quick shake before avoiding her gaze. "Sorry," he murmured quietly, staring down at their still-clasped hands. "I was just... thinking."

"You feel like talking?" she asked tentatively, unsurprised when he shook his head another time.

"I don't even want to think about it," he muttered. "Not now."

Ashley sighed quietly, offering him what she hoped was a comforting smile. Her mind flashed back to how he had been when she'd walked into his room that morning and while she thought that she had a good idea of what he'd seen in his dreams, if he didn't want to talk, then she wasn't going to ask.

Deciding that he was in dire need of a distraction before the sadness on his face had the chance to deepen, Ashley dropped his hands and picked up one of two straws lying unused next to their water glasses. Picking up the one closest to her, she tore the end off and dropped the scrap onto the table, before putting the straw to her lips and blowing hard.

As she'd hoped, the wrapper caught Andros squarely in the forehead. He jumped and she giggled, when he looked away wondering if she'd annoyed him. Her mouth was open to apologize when he caught her eye and grinned, laying one hand flat on the table and giving his first two fingers a slight twitch. If she hadn't seen the same from Zhane, Ashley would have yelped in surprise when the second straw suddenly zoomed up off of the table and bounced off of her nose.

"You know," she said quietly, crossing her arms across her chest as the straw slid behind her ear, having thwarted her every attempt to grab it out of the air, "you're not really supposed to do that where people can see you. It's not normal here."

"No one can see me," he informed her, still grinning. "I just checked."

"Maybe no one was looking a minute ago," she relented, "but someone's walking over here now."

Andros paused and she snatched the straw out of the air, reaching across the table to tap him lightly on the nose with it when he looked back to her. "Gotcha." She grinned and he wrinkled his nose at her, actually laughing when she settled back into her own side of the booth.

"Only this time," he warned her with a wicked smile. "I'm not falling for that again."

Ashley laughed as well, keeping both straws close to her, just in case. "Do you think you could teach me?" she asked, a little shyly. "Zhane tried, but... I don't think I learned much."

"I could try," he agreed, faint surprise written across his face. "But--I've never tried to teach anyone before, and I can't promise how much you'll learn..."

"I don't care," she assured him. "I just want to try."

"We can start later, if you want," he offered, and she nodded eagerly.

"I'd like that." Ashley would have said more, but their food arrived, and her train of thought was lost as she watched Andros study his breakfast.

He gave her a look that clearly said "You actually eat this?" Ashley bit her lip to hide her laughter and reached for her knife and fork, out of the corner of her eye seeing him do the same.

"It's good," she promised. "You'll like it."

He took a careful bite, pondering her words as he chewed slowly. "I do," he admitted, pointedly ignoring her triumphant smile.

"You need to know more about Earth," Ashley informed him. "Next time, we're getting Chinese food. There's this great restaurant that my family and I went to last night."

"How was that?" he wanted to know, trying not to talk with his mouth full. "Did you have fun?"

Ashley nodded, her smile more bemused now than anything else as she told him the highlights of the party her family had thrown her. "Oh," she added sheepishly as she finished, "and my parents want to meet you sometime."

Andros choked on a strawberry. "They do?" he sputtered, gulping orange juice. "Why?"

"I didn't mean now," Ashley hastened to add. "I mean, we've only been together a day and a half, after all, but they wanted to know where my necklace was from, and well... they want to meet you."

She was still wearing the necklace, he was pleased to see. Her tank top hid the pendant, but he could clearly see the chain laying around her neck.

"You don't have to," Ashley shrugged. "I don't even know why I said anything..."

"No, I don't mind." Andros contemplated that for a few moments and decided that he almost wasn't lying. He sighed, explaining, "I just... don't always make such a good first impression on people."

"Oh, I know that," she assured him wryly, eyes twinkling mischievously. "You do remember the first thing you ever said to me?"

"I--" Andros stopped midsentence and blushed beet red as he thought back to them in the med bay just after Zhane and Karone had rescued them from Cosmos and Lyra at Dark Spectre's celebratory banquet.

"I'll take that as a yes," Ashley giggled and his face slowly turned even redder. "What, you don't think it's funny?" she asked innocently, and grinned at him evilly. "I think it's hilarious. Now," she amended.

"No, I **don't** think it's funny," he grumbled, still blushing. He'd been hoping that she'd forgotten all about that, actually. "I--" He hesitated, trying to remember if he had ever apologized for the way he had treated her those first few days. He wasn't too surprised to realize that he hadn't. "I'm sorry," he muttered, not looking at her. "For everything I said then. And the day after. And then for everything else I shouldn't have said."

"Apology accepted." Ashley smiled at him devilishly. "But I still think it's funny."

"Are you sure?"

"Very sure. But," she made a show of sighing reluctantly, "if you're that embarrassed about it, it can be our little secret."

Andros nodded his head firmly, before glancing down at his mostly empty plate and informing it, "I like waffles."

"That's good." Ashley's voice was choked with laughter as she swallowed the last of her orange juice. "Done?"

Andros scraped the last few crumbs off of his plate and nodded. "This was... fun," he said sincerely, more relaxed than she had ever seen him. "Thanks, Ash."

Ashley beamed at him, reaching for her purse. "You about ready to get out of here?"

She dug open her purse and rummaged around for a tip to leave Katie. "Let's get back to the ship," she suggested more quietly, wrinkling her nose as she added, "I don't suppose Cosmos and Lyra feel like taking today off--but if I end up on the Dark Fortress for a third time in as many days..."

Andros laughed softly, sliding one arm around her waist and placing a quick kiss on her lips before they headed for the register at the front of the restaurant. "If you do, it won't be because of me this time," he promised. She bit her lip to keep from laughing and he couldn't help but kiss her again, for once grateful that they were surrounded by other people. If she didn't stop smiling at him like that, he wasn't sure he'd trust himself alone with her.

He paused, his expression darkening suddenly as he realized that he hadn't yet told Ashley that he'd kissed Lyra while she'd been impersonating the yellow ranger. He thought--he hoped--that she'd understand, but still... he should tell her.

"Ash..." Andros stopped, glancing around their surroundings and deciding that it could at least wait until they were outside. "Never mind," he shrugged when she looked at him curiously. "I'll tell you later."

Ashley raised an eyebrow skeptically, but shrugged at him. "Sure," she agreed, and he caught her hand, her skin warm against his own. "C'mon, let's go."

She turned around to face the front of the restaurant and almost crashed into someone directly behind her. Andros frowned, the other person only vaguely familiar, but recognizing him instantly when the guy looked **his** girlfriend up and down. _Where'd that come from?_ He frowned and tightened his arm around Ashley's waist, unused to the sudden surge of--jealousy? Protectiveness?

"Ashley? What are you doing here?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 8**

"We came here for breakfast." Ashley decided to ignore the poorly hidden accusation in her ex-boyfriend's tone, and smiled at him instead. "What else?"

Ben looked her up and down another time with narrowed eyes, this time taking notice of Andros's arm around her waist. His already surly expression became even frostier before he quickly rearranged his face into a smirk. "Just a friend, huh?"

Ashley tried very hard not to roll her eyes. "At the time."

"Right." Ben nodded, trying and failing to hide his skepticism. "So, when did you two get together?"

"Day before yesterday," Ashley told him reluctantly. Was it too much to hope that he would just go away? Probably, she decided with a silent sigh.

"Oh, right, yesterday was your birthday, wasn't it?" Ben smiled unconvincingly. "Did he get you something good?"

Andros tightened his arm around her ever so slightly when Ben's gaze shifted to him, and her sigh was audible now as she stared between them. Ben glared accusingly at Andros, who did an excellent job of scowling at him in return.

"Excuse me," she said abruptly. "I've got to go pay the bill... I'll see you at school tomorrow, Ben."

Andros followed her halfway to the register, but he stopped walking when Ben wondered, "Shouldn't **you** be paying?" Ashley grimaced and decided the faster they left, the better. Shooting an apologetic look at Andros, she headed up to the register and paid for their breakfast, keeping one eye on Andros and Ben.

He was more annoyed than anything else, she surmised, though she knew that Ben would have had trouble guessing. Andros's expression was coolly polite, but he stood stiffly with his arms crossed across his chest. Almost the same posture that he held whenever he was forced to interact with anyone over the comm, she realized, and then tried not to smile too much when a sudden smirk flashed across his face. It was gone as soon as it came, as she shoved her receipt into her pocket, Ashley decided she didn't want to know what he'd said.

She caught Andros's eye and nodded towards the door. He smiled in relief and paused only to say something else to Ben before following her quickly, catching up to her just outside of the door, where she'd stopped to wait for him. Andros turned her to face him and claimed her lips with his own in a surprisingly passionate kiss. Ashley glanced in through the window of the restaurant, almost expecting to see Ben still standing there watching them.

"Andros," she muttered against his lips. He pulled away immediately, taking a few steps down the sidewalk and pausing with his back to her. "Andros?"

"Sorry," he murmured sheepishly. "I couldn't help it."

Ashley bit her lip as she considered that and then slid one arm through his. "Come on," she said, keeping her tone as casual as she could. "So are you the jealous type or is it just him that you don't like?"

Abashment and amusement mingled in his expression as he admitted, "Just him."

"Good," she decided. "We'd have a problem if you were like that with every guy I know."

"Only the ones that think you're still dating them," Andros promised her, and Ashley almost stopped walking, torn between laughter and anger.

"He said that?"

"Well..." Andros hesitated. "Almost."

Ashley sighed and ran a hand through her hair, glancing back towards the restaurant but not spotting Ben anywhere. She didn't know what he and Andros had said to each other, and didn't really want to, but she was tempted to storm back into the restaurant to tell him off anyway. She took a deep breath and shook her head, telling herself sternly that that would only cause more problems.

So Ben was acting like an idiot. It wasn't her problem anymore, and Andros's irritation seemed to have vanished as soon as they'd left the restaurant, so she shrugged it off and kept walking. Andros caught her expression before they'd gone another three steps and stopped to pull her into a hug. Ashley couldn't help but smile as he rubbed her shoulders soothingly, feeling her own annoyance ebb away.

"Don't be upset," he muttered in her ear. "Please?"

"Well, since you asked..." Ashley shook her hair back and smiled for him. "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

She nodded firmly. "I'm not letting him ruin our date," she told him, and took his hand again. "Forget what I said about going back to the ship; let's go for a walk first. You don't have too much work, do you?"

"Actually--no," he decided. "Where are we going?"

"Beach," she said, and veered down a sidestreet. "We're not really dressed to go swimming, but we can still go for a walk. It'll be fun!"

"If you say so," he agreed, following her willingly down the street. Barely a block later, the sidewalk had vanished into sand and the warm breeze carried the shouts of beachgoers and the rhythmic crash of the waves to their ears. Andros stalled when Ashley tried to pull him along, resisting until she stepped back to his side and slid her arms around his waist while he gazed out across the water.

"Like it?" Ashley finally wanted to know, having watched him stare at the waves for what seemed like a very long time and yet only a few seconds all at once.

He nodded, not looking away from the water. "It's... beautiful," he murmured at last. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it before."

"Haven't you ever been to the beach before?" she asked curiously, seeing how he was almost mesmerized by the sight.

"Not really," he confessed. "KO-35 had plenty of oceans, but I guess... we just never went."

"That'll have to change," Ashley said firmly, smiling as he didn't even look at her. "It's almost summer. It'll be perfect weather for swimming, and we can have a picnic or something."

Andros just nodded, but she knew that he'd been listening. Laughing quietly, she tugged on his arm until he started moving again. "That sounds fun," he said after a moment.

"I can't believe you've never been to the beach before," she marveled when he stopped walking again. "It's the perfect place for a date... Oh, just sit down already." She dropped down onto the sand as she spoke and he followed a moment later, drawing his knees halfway up and draping an arm across her shoulders.

"It looks perfect," he agreed, hugging her closer. "We'll have to do that sometime."

"Mmm..." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "So, what **did** you do for a date on KO-35?" she wondered curiously. "What was there to do for fun?"

"Well... Ranger training didn't give us much time for a personal life." Andros shrugged and traced a circle in the sand. "None of us went on very many dates, and if we did, just to a holoshow or our to eat somewhere."

"Really?" Ashley twisted her head to look at him. "You didn't get time off?"

"Whenever we weren't training, but the ranger compound had a curfew," he explained. "We could stay up as late as we wanted to and do whatever we wanted on our time off, but we couldn't get special permission to be out just because we wanted to be at some offworld party, or see this holoshow at this time."

"Holoshows," Ashley repeated. "So movies, then?"

"Yeah."

Ashley thought for a moment. "Was this with Lyra?"

His face darkening visibly, and he stopped drawing designs in the sand. "Yes," he said, and sighed. "Um, Ash... I... There's something I need to tell you..."

"Yes?" she prompted when he stalled. "You can tell me anything," she reminded him gently, and he nodded before taking a deep breath.

"Yesterday..." Andros sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "When Lyra was pretending to be you, I--I sort of... kissed her..."

"Oh." Ashley sounded more surprised than anything else, but Andros wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one. His arm was still around her, he realized suddenly, and pulled back quickly, watching her intently.

"I thought she was you," he repeated nervously. "I did, Ash."

Ashley pondered over his words for a few moments, her expression thoughtful but not exactly angry. Andros allowed himself to relax, for a moment thinking that this was going to be fine after all. Then she looked from the ocean to him, speaking and catching him completely off-guard. "She a good kisser?"

"What?" Andros sputtered over the word, choking on nothing but air. How was he supposed to answer **that**?

"Is she a good kisser?" Ashley repeated patiently. He caught her eye this time, frowning when he thought he saw her almost smile. She wasn't serious, he realized with a rush of relief, and nearly laughed himself.

"I'd rather kiss you," he murmured. Ashley's smile widened when he did, her arms sliding around his neck.

"You're a good kisser too," she giggled in his ear. He could feel himself blushing at her words, wondering how she could get to him so easily. It was completely unfair, he thought, feeling his own arms creep around her waist. He had no idea what effect he had on her, but he thought the whole world could see what she did to him.

"So you're not upset?" he asked one last time, just to be sure.

"Well, I'm not happy about it," she said, smiling dryly. "But no, I'm not upset--with you, anyway."

He tightened his arms around her for just one moment before letting her draw away. Ashley hopped to her feet and caught his hand to pull him up before dragging him down the beach again and changing the subject. "So what else was there to do on KO-35?"

Andros shrugged. "We didn't get out that much. I didn't," he amended, a little ruefully, she thought. "Zhane was offworld all the time, and Karone or Renn usually went with him. Everyone else had their favorite place to go when not on duty. I... just didn't feel like leaving the compound much."

"You don't feel like leaving the Megaship much, either," Ashley observed. "Even if you don't like crowds, don't you get bored sometimes?"

"There's the Simudeck," he reminded her. "And the Observatory. There's plenty to do."

"If you say so," Ashley said, a teasing grin spreading across her face. "But you're going to start coming down to Earth more often, just so you know."

"Oh really?" He raised an eyebrow. "How much more often?"

"Whenever what I want to do is more fun than what you want to do," she said cheerfully. "This was my idea; you choose what we do next time, if you want."

Andros laughed, his mood lightened by her bubbly spirit. "Dinner?" he suggested after a moment of quick thought. "On the Observatory?"

"Okay, that sounds like fun," Ashley admitted. "When?"

"Day after tomorrow?" he asked. He didn't really want to wait that long to be alone with her again, but he didn't want to pressure her, either.

"Sounds great," she agreed. "I love the view from there."

"So do I." Andros nodded, smiling at some memory. "We all did... We used to sleep there some nights, all of us."

"Team sleepovers?" Ashley laughed. "We should try that sometime."

"I was serious," Andros insisted, but he laughed as well and continued to follow her. They hadn't gone more than another five feet forward when he heard screams behind him, and he groaned. There was only one thing that that could mean, he thought with a sigh, glancing over his shoulder just to be sure.

"Can't morph," Ashley cursed as sunlight glinted off of the approaching Quantrons. "Too many people."

He nodded distractedly and automatically fell into a fighting stance as the Quantrons closed in. Ashley raised her hands defensively, rushing forward alongside him as the metallic soldiers attacked.

Andros had no idea what the they wanted. Not that he ever knew what Cosmos and Lyra were up to, but this attack appeared to be completely random and strangely, Ashley wasn't being attacked. She'd fought her way to his side to help him out, but the Quantrons were far more interested in him than her.

He doubled over when he was caught in the gut, groaning when a metal fist slammed into his spine just between his shoulder blades. Ashley moved closer, guarding him the best that she could as he recovered.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," he gasped out, straightening just in time to catch a fist headed straight for his face. He twisted around and flung the Quantron forward, realizing too late that he'd left his back unguarded when he'd moved. Stumbling forward when he was kicked, he caught himself with his palms, only to hiss in pain when his wrist buckled.

Where was Ashley? he wondered, staggering to his feet. He glimpsed a blur of yellow off to his right and sighed. The Quantrons had finally noticed her. He continued fighting on his own, gritting his teeth against the pain that shot through his arm each time he used his injured right wrist to block or hit. It didn't hurt nearly enough to be broken, but he figured it couldn't hurt to have it checked, and then forced his mind back to the fight at hand.

Surf sloshed across his ankles and he growled in frustration as the Quantrons forced him back another few inches into the ocean. His arms flew up to grab ahold of one Quantron's blade and another kicked him hard in the chest. He kneeled over, gasping desperately for air, unable to breathe and wondering how he was going to keep fighting.

The Quantrons were gone in a bright sparkle of silver, and then saw a flash of yellow as Ashley reached his side. She crouched down beside him and laid one hand on his shoulder, gently rubbing his back as the air slowly returned to his lungs. He leaned against her, calming as he was able to gulp down air. It wasn't the first time that he'd had the wind knocked out of him, and probably not the last, but no amount of experience or training had ever dulled the panic that shot through him each time he realized hat he was unable to breathe.

"You okay?" Ashley muttered softly in his ear.

"Yeah," he gasped breathlessly, still a little lightheaded. "I'm fine."

"Come on," she said, and carefully helped him to his feet. Andros groaned before he could help it, tensing when she caught his right hand. Ashley let go instantly and looked at him suspiciously. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," he insisted. "I'm fine."

"You're not," Ashley objected, and glanced around the now-deserted beach. "Deca, teleport two to the Med Bay."

"I told you, I'm--" He broke off when he realized that they were already in the infirmary. "Fine," he finished sullenly, reluctantly letting her push him onto one of the beds. Ashley stepped away to dig out a scanner, and he kicked off his shoes and socks, both soaked with seawater, his jeans drenched from the knee down as well.

"Give me your hand," Ashley ordered. She reached for him before he could protest and sighed with relief as she ran the scanner across his right arm. "Sprained," she announced, and stared at him pointedly. "Maybe a minor injury, but **not** fine."

He glared at her. Ashley smiled innocently and carefully unbuttoned the cuff on his right sleeve. Andros slipped out of the shirt, shivering slightly when the air hit his bare arms. Ashley wrapped up his wrist and then ran the scanner over the rest of his body, checking for more injuries.

"And what about you?" he demanded finally, using his good arm to tug the scanner away from him. "You could have been hurt too, you know."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Fine," she sighed. "If it makes you feel better."

"It does," he informed her, scooting over to make room for her on the bed. "You're fine," he said a moment later, frowning. "That's not fair. Not that I'd ever want you to be hurt," he added hastily when he realized what he'd said. "I didn't mean that."

Ashley laughed before she could help herself, and hopped down to wrap her arms around his neck. "It's completely unfair," she agreed, her voice losing it's cheerfulness as she added, "They were after you."

"I noticed," he said wryly.

"Do you know what they wanted?"

He shook his head and held up his left wrist, explaining, "They didn't even try to take this."

"Whoa, what's going on here?" another voice broke in, and they looked over to see Zhane and TJ in the doorway. "What happened to you two?"

"Quantrons at the beach," Ashley told them, trying to shrug it off. "Don't worry, we're fine."

His back to Zhane and TJ, Andros glared at her and pointed to his wrist. Ashley tried not to laugh and kissed his cheek, her arm sliding around his waist. "We're fine now, anyway," she corrected herself, and Andros made a face at her.

"Quantrons at the beach, huh?" TJ repeated slowly. "Deca didn't tell us."

That sounded accusatory, and Ashley wondered what the blue ranger would be eating for lunch. And dinner. And quite possibly breakfast, depending on how vengeful Deca was at the moment. As it was, she took her time replying. "My sensors were momentarily occupied," she said at last. "The Dark Fortress reappeared on the scanners for a few moments."

"Really?" Andros looked up, frowning as he contemplated all probable reasons that Cosmos and Lyra would have for lowering their cloaking shield. "What are they up to?" he wondered aloud, and sighed. Maybe Elgar had just hit the wrong button. He hoped that was all it was.

"Well, we'll find out sooner or later," Zhane said brightly. "No point in worrying about it until then."

TJ nodded with obvious reluctance, but agreed, "All we can do is wait."


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I make no money from this. Disney owns the Power Rangers now.

**Chapter 9**

He waited only a moment after recalling the Quantrons before terminating the connection and watching the viewing screen fade to black. He really had no desire to watch the yellow ranger comfort his sorry excuse for a brother. His fingers gave the console before him an idle tap as he fumed silently, considering what he should do next.

His mind made up, Cosmos stood and stormed off of the bridge, heading for his quarters. Lyra glanced up when the door slid open, her loose hair spilling over her shoulders as she lounged across their bed. A datapad lay next to her, but somehow he thought that it hadn't been touched in a long while.

"There you are," she greeted him. "Nice thinking with the Quantrons; they'll be wondering all day what that was about."

"Oh, I just... Thanks." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I couldn't stand watching them any longer."

That was true, and she nodded her head in whole-hearted agreement. "Needy, isn't he?"

"She never let go of his hand." Cosmos paused, and then just blurted out, "You kissed him?"

"Remind me about it, will you?" she grumbled, rolling over the rest of the way to lay sprawled out across the bed on her back. "Not that you can really call it kissing with him..."

He considered that, and finally nodded unhappily. "Fine." There was nothing else that he **could** say.

"Of course it is," she murmured. "You know I love you, and only you. Anything else is just an act."

Cosmos did know that. Most of the time, anyway. And even when he didn't, he knew that she wouldn't lie to him. "Glad to hear it," he said forced lightness, and he leaned over to kiss her. Lyra laughed softly, but pushed him away with a look of regret.

"We'll have company any minute," she reminded him as she sat up.

"Right," he agreed reluctantly, but brightened a moment later. "But at least those idiots won't be running around the universe with Zordon any longer... It's a miracle they didn't find him on Hercuron."

"Dark Spectre's thinking exactly," Lyra said with a self-satisfied smirk. "He wants the damned wizard here, where he's safe. Pity we can't take care of Divatox and those fools once and for all--and her nephew. Definitely her nephew."

"Elgar will be the first to go," Cosmos promised her. He looked forward to the day that they finally did away with Dark Spectre and the useless fools that served him. "Now, I suppose we're supposed to meet her?"

"Obviously." She paused, a devilish smile forming on her lips. "You know... if they have time to stroll around on the beach holding hands, the rangers don't have nearly enough to do."

"I agree." Cosmos chuckled darkly. "It's a little earlier than we planned, but they're just about ready to go..."

"I say we go for it," she agreed. "We'll never get anything productive done with Divatox around, anyway."

"What say we test them out first?" he suggested with a devious grin. "We'll send them to Darkonda. If anything goes wrong, we can override even from here, and it'll keep the rangers away for at least a day."

Lyra nodded, a grimace crossing her features when the intership comm chimed. "We're coming," she snapped, cutting the connection before whoever was on the other end could say a word. "You ready?"

"Ready," he sighed. "Let's go."

**---**

"Ready?" Andros yawned sleepily and looked up from his final stretches to see Ashley's hand hovering in his face. His right wrist had healed quickly overnight, not feeling even twinging when he reached up and let her pull him to his feet.

"Ready." He nodded, unable to resist pressing a quick kiss to her lips. Ashley smiled at him before she dropped down into a defensive crouch, arms raised to counter whatever move he threw. He supposed that meant he was expected to make the first move.

The first kick was slow, giving them both the chance to warm themselves up completely. Her arm came up to block automatically, and she deflected the blow easily. His right foot touched ground again as he stepped back and spun, just in time to catch ahold of her fist.

Ashley twisted away before he could throw her, ducking to let his hurricane whiz by harmlessly over her head. She returned the attack and he countered, the two of them dancing back and forth for several more minutes. It wasn't long before Ashley stopped thinking, trusting her instincts completely, and she knew that Andros was doing the same.

He slipped up for only a second, but it was all the time Ashley needed. She caught his arm and pulled hard enough to tug him off-balance. He stumbled, just a tiny bit, but the small advantage was just enough. Twisting herself around, she threw him forward over her shoulder. She didn't release her hold on him and they both tumbled to the ground with her on top. Remembering how their only other sparring match had ended, she didn't pin his arms against his chest this time, but held his hands out over his head.

"I win," she declared, and he shot her a mock glare. She knew that he probably could have turned the tables on her if he'd wanted to but he didn't even try, just staring up at her and panting for breath.

Adrenaline still flooding through her, she leaned down and kissed him harder than she'd intended, but he certainly wasn't complaining. He kissed back eagerly and she relaxed on top of him, releasing his wrists so he could wrap his arms around her.

His hands slid across her back to rest on her waist, his fingers toying with the hem of her sweatshirt but not slipping beneath it. Some part of her mind--the rational part--reminded her of where they were and tried to tell her that they were going too fast, but the rest of her didn't really seem to care when the kiss deepened and Andros pulled her closer up against him, his arms snug around her waist.

She didn't protest against that either, and he hesitated. It wasn't serious--yet--and he didn't want to end this in the least, but something inside of him was screaming for more, and he couldn't seem to ignore it any longer. Ashley's fingers buried into his hair and Andros groaned aloud, hands clenching. His conscience pricked at him, warring briefly with the rest of him before winning, forcing him to turn his head to the side and pull away before he did something he would regret later.

"Andros?"

It took him longer than it should to realize that his eyes were closed. He blinked, unsurprised to find himself drowning in her eyes. Forgetting completely why he'd pulled away in the first place, Andros reached up and pulled her head down for one more kiss.

"Your presence is requested on the bridge."

He jumped when Deca's voice intruded and Ashley let out a sigh, but she rolled off of him and sat up. He felt her move away, probably in search of her shoes, but he just lay there for a moment longer and tried to catch his breath. His head fell back against the mats to let his brain catch up with his body. All he wanted to do was kiss her...

"Andros?"

He opened his eyes, confused, as Ashley dropped down beside him again. She watched him expectantly, and it slowly dawned on him that she was waiting. Shaking his head, Andros pushed himself up, pulled on his shoes, and stood.

"Stop simulation," he muttered without looking at her, and their sparring arena vanished. "We're coming, Deca."

He offered Ashley a hand up, pulling her to her feet easily as the green gridlines faded away. Still hand in hand, the two left the Simudeck quickly, not knowing what they were wanted for on the bridge.

"We're here; what's so important?" Ashley demanded cheerfully as they emerged from the Megalift just in time to see the comm screen fade to black. "Who was that?"

"They've found Auriga," Karone informed them grimly, and Ashley's smile faded as she shot an automatic glance at Andros. After evacuating Centaur B, the Karovan refugees had found shelter on Auriga, an equally harsh world not far from Eltar. Apparently, they hadn't been as careful as they'd thought.

"We're on the way," Andros decided instantly. "Set a course for Auriga. Hyperrush Nine."

His orders were followed without question, the four Earth-born rangers rushing to their stations without a second thought. Never mind the fact that they were supposed to be at school in less than an hour. Their duties as rangers came first.

"Course locked on," TJ reported barely a minute later, and Ashley watched Andros let out a deep breath.

"Hyperrush Nine," Carlos acknowledged, the sudden change in velocity sensible only moments later. "Estimated arrival time... four hours."

Andros only nodded, anxiously toying with the strings on his sweatshirt. Four hours... He knew only too well the kind of damage that could be done in that amount of time, and his people were more defenseless now than they had ever been.

"I have to go," he said suddenly, and stood. There was really no reason that any of them had to be there; Deca was perfectly capable of flying the ship without them.

"Andros, wait--" Zhane protested, and he thought he heard Ashley call after him, but he ignored them all and fled the bridge without another word.

**---**

"Andros?" Ashley rapped her knuckles against his door, waiting a good five minutes before calling his name more loudly. "Andros!"

She sighed softly when there was no reply. She'd leave him alone if that's what he wanted. That was why she'd taken a long shower first, and then fed Oddball his breakfast before seeking out Andros; she didn't want to push him too hard.

Ashley knew that he needed some space. But if he wanted to be left alone, he was going to have to tell her so first.

"Andros, can I come in?" she asked, waiting (almost) patiently for a reply. "Just for a minute?"

"It's not locked," he shouted back to her finally, and she took that as a yes. Quickly, not wanting him to change his mind, she keyed his door open and stepped inside. With all of the lights off, his room was almost completely dark, but she could still see him sitting on his bed, still in his workout uniform, his shoulders hunched and his hands clutching something in his lap. With a sad sigh, she crossed the floor to settle herself alongside him and wrap a careful arm around his shoulders.

"You feel like talking?" she ventured. He shook his head no, but he did seem to appreciate the hug. She slid her other arm around him and pulled him close, holding him silently. He let out a deep breath, and she felt her heart break; it was so hard to watch him hurt, she realized. Ashley hugged him harder, simply hating to see him sad.

"Ashley?" His soft voice caught her by surprise. "Close your eyes for a minute," he warned her, and she almost smiled. A soft click was audible as he flicked on the small lamp that stood on his dresser, and as her eyes adjusted quickly to the brightness she caught a glimpse of the picture that was gripped tightly in his hands.

"Your team?" she asked gently. With a heavy sigh, Andros nodded wordlessly. Ashley looked up in surprise when he passed her the picture, but she took it from him eagerly. They couldn't have been more than fourteen in this picture, she thought sadly as she studied the images of his long-dead friends with a sorrowful smile.

With his hairstyle, Andros was recognizable anywhere, and she didn't need to look at the suit colors to pick out Zhane and Karone, either. The one in yellow was obviously Lyra, and Ashley couldn't help the rush of disgust that her powers had once belonged to the tall redhead with the innocent smile. One arm was flung across Andros's shoulders, and Ashley quickly turned her attention to the remaining three rangers as she tried to suppress her irritation. She wracked her brain to remember the names of the other three; she was sure that Zhane had mentioned them, but the only name that she could recall belonged to someone that hadn't been on this team anyway.

"Who's who?" she finally had to ask, more than anything just wanting to know these people that had meant so much to him.

"Kir's next to Karone," he told her without so much as glancing at the picture, and her eyes fell to the serious-looking boy in the black ranger suit. "Renn was blue," he continued, "and Zyanya was pink."

Ashley nodded and stared hard at their faces, trying to picture them as they would have been. The glint in Renn's green eyes was strangely reminiscent of Zhane, and the way they stood with their arms around each others shoulders suggested that they'd been close friends and partners in wreaking havoc. Zyanya's dark hair fell across her face, almost hiding her expression, but her smile was obvious as she stood between Andros and Lyra, an arm around each of them.

"How old were all of you?" Ashley knew that she should stop questioning him, but she truly wanted to know and as long as he would answer, she couldn't help herself from asking.

"Karone and K--Lyra and I were fourteen when that picture was taken," he said after a brief pause. "Zhane and Zyanya would have been fifteen, and Kir and Renn were sixteen." He sighed. "They were dead six months later."

Ashley opened her mouth and then closed it again. No matter how true it was, saying 'I'm sorry' wasn't going to take his pain away, so she said nothing. He hugged her back this time when she wrapped her arms around him, his shoulders trembling slightly as he forced back the emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

"I miss them," he whispered, and she held him closer.

"I know you do," she murmured, stroking his hair soothingly.

Andros drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, fighting for his composure back. Ashley released him the moment he straightened up again, watching sadly as he quickly wiped away the few tears that had escaped his control. He glanced back at her as though he were going to speak but changed his mind.

He stood and placed returned the photo gently to its place on his dresser. When he turned back to her, there was another, smaller picture in his hands. He handed it to her silently, and she couldn't but smile at what she saw. Andros, Karone, and a girl who bore a striking resemblance to he first pink ranger were squashed together on the couch in the Observatory, Andros in the middle with the arms of the two girls wrapped around him. Strangely, she wasn't irked to see Andros in someone else's arms this time; she almost wanted to laugh, and she probably would have if she hadn't been worried that she would hurt him by doing so.

"That's her?" she questioned gently.

"Yeah." He surprised her by speaking instead of merely nodding. "That's Zeah. And I'm not as angry as I look there," he added, this time glancing over her shoulder to stare at the picture himself. "It's Zhane's fault."

Ashley giggled before she could help herself. "I'm sure it was."

"It was," he insisted, and sighed. "I didn't want to be in the picture. But it's the only photo I have of her."

She stared hard at the picture, smiling as she contrasted Andros's sullen expression to the joy on Zeah's face. Looking more closely, the way that Zeah and Karone had their arms around Andros made Ashley think that they were holding him still long enough for Zhane to snap the picture.

"I keep forgetting what she looks like," he confessed, and Ashley looked up. "The others, too... even my parents. I can't remember-- not what they looked like or how they acted, not without thinking about it."

Ashley nodded sympathetically and reached for his hands. "My grandma and grandpa on my mom's side of the family died when I was seven and eight," she told him, sliding her fingers through his. "It's not really the same, but I know what you mean... I know that I loved them, but I only remember these strange little things about them. But my brother, it's almost scary how he remembers everything about them."

Andros almost looked relieved. "It's not just me, then?" He kicked at the floor when she appeared surprised at the outburst, mumbling, "Zhane and Karone haven't forgotten."

"How do you know?" she asked him gently. "Have you ever talked to them?"

He shook his head. "Sometimes they'll say something that reminds me of them, that's all," he muttered. "They never would have given up," he told her abruptly, his eyes flicking towards the first picture as he set he second back where it belonged. "Sometimes... I used to think that it's the only reason we're still here," he admitted. "We have to keep fighting, for them."

"You've done a better job of it than anyone has the right to expect of any of you," she promised him, scooting closer to hug him again. "Are you going to be okay?"

"If we can get to Auriga before what's left of the colony is completely destroyed," he said, and sighed. "They'll have to move again."

"I know," Ashley agreed. "And we'll help them. Now," she continued, turning to face him, "you weren't planning on spending the next three hours all alone in here, were you?"

Andros sighed heavily. "Ash..."

"Hey, if you want me to leave, all you have to do is say so," she hastened to add, and he relaxed a little. "Do you want me to go?"

He was silent for several minutes before he finally said, "No. But I don't want to talk about this anymore, either," he continued, and Ashley nodded her head.

"Then we won't," she agreed. "Anything else you'd rather do?"

"I..." Andros looked away when his mind, rather inexplicably as far as he was concerned, flashed back to the two of them on the Simudeck only an hour before. He swallowed, his throat very dry. All he wanted to do was kiss her... Suddenly annoyed with his train of thoughts, he shook his head and glanced back at her. "What do you want to do?"

"Well..." Ashley hesitated. "At breakfast yesterday, you said you'd teach me telekinesis?"

"I said I'd try," he corrected her, but smiled faintly. It pleased him to no end that she even wanted to learn, regardless of whether or not she could. He tilted his head at her, suddenly hoping very much that she really would be able to learn, and not just telekinesis. Empathy was inborn as far as he knew--not to mention that he wasn't empathic himself, but telepathy could be taught...

"Do you want to start now?"

Ashley smiled at him and nodded eagerly. "You're the best," she beamed at him. He smiled back at her; a tiny smile, true, but it was still a smile, and somehow that made her far happier than she felt she should be.

Andros slid closer to her, one arm wrapping around her waist from the front and pulling her up straight. His other hand held hers, steadying her arm. "Start like this," he said in her ear, his breath warm against her skin. "All you have to do is relax," he continued. "Just concentrate..."


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** Not mine except for Cosmos and Lyra. Not for profit. Please don't sue me.

**Chapter 10**

Cosmos couldn't concentrate. Of course, he didn't really **want** to, seeing as how Divatox was still blabbing her head off and Lyra was the one stuck listening. Elgar had nodded off ages ago, and if Ecliptor was capable of sleep he surely would have too. Damn, but he missed having a helmet to hide behind. As long as he hadn't snored too loudly, someone had filled him in on the details later.

Lyra shot him a covert glance when Divatox turned to smack Elgar awake. Cosmos shrugged at her helplessly; what did she expect him to do, vaporize the pirate? Useless as she was, Dark Spectre wouldn't take to her demise well at all, and the monarch was already in a rather foul mood after word had reached his ears that the Astro Rangers were a full team once again.

"Hey, you," Divatox snapped and he groaned silently to find her attention on him now. "Are you listening to me?"

He just barely managed not to grimace. "Of course," he assured her, rushing on before she cold launch into another long winded tale. "And I would love to hear yet again how you destroyed the Power Rangers, but by now you must know that they've got the Astro powers. Not that your efforts are any less remarkable because of that," he hurried to add when her expression grew increasingly ill-tempered. "I only meant that..."

"That Dark Spectre has appointed us to pick up where you've left off," Lyra took up his train of thought smoothly when he faltered. "So you see, without you, none of us would be here."

"Hmm..." Divatox sniffed as she pondered over those words. "Well, you got that right," she smirked finally, and leaned forward across the table. "So," she began conversationally, "what are you up to now?"

"Wait until you hear this one, Auntie D," Elgar piped up. "It's--ow! Hey, what was that for?"

Cosmos hid a smile when Elgar yowled in pain and ceased babbling. Lyra caught his eye, her lips quirking. "It's nothing really," she said lightly, speaking to Divatox but keeping her eyes on him. "Just a little trap we've laid for the rangers, that's all. Nothing big."

"Trap?" He could almost see her ears perk up. "But what kind?"

"We've still got one spy with what's left of my people--I mean, the Karovan refugees," he corrected himself hastily. Lyra's narrowed eyes told him that she'd caught the slip, but Divatox didn't seem to notice. "We've sent him orders, that's all," he finished quickly. "The rangers will be there soon."

"Ah, a spy..."

"His identity is classified," Lyra said coolly. "For his protection, you understand."

Divatox narrowed her eyes. "Yes..."

Cosmos tried not to smirk. With the Psycho Rangers to lure him out, Darkonda would be dead by nightfall. It was a shame that he had several lives left, Cosmos reflected, his eyes straying to his bondmate. In exchange for successfully securing the young girl a place on the Karovan ranger team, Dark Spectre had granted the bounty hunter nine "extra" lives. Cosmos had lost track of how many he had remaining, but they would see to it that he, as well as Divatox and Elgar and all those who were in their way were done away with once and for all, leaving the universe at their beck and call.

**---**

Something was seriously wrong with the world when what Andros wanted to do was more fun than what she wanted to do, Ashley thought disjointedly, sliding across his lap. Not that she cared much at all whose idea it had been or how it had started while Andros was kissing her like that, his arms holding her close enough that she could feel the quick beat of his heart.

"Estimated time to destination is twenty minutes," Deca announced, and they broke apart.

"Thanks, Deca," Andros said, his voice only slightly breathless. "We'll be there in a minute."

Even in the near darkness of his room--they'd never gotten around to turning the lights up, she realized, she could see how his face was flushed, stray curls of hair clinging to his forehead after having escaped his ponytail. He looked irresistable like that, and Ashley couldn't help but to kiss him again, more softly this time, before nuzzling closer and relaxing against him. Andros wrapped both of his arms tightly around her and hugged her close, even stroking her hair gently.

"Ash?"

"Hmm?" she muttered, her cheek pillowed against his chest.

"It's nothing," he whispered. "I--I'm just... really glad you're here."

"I'm glad too," she told him quietly. She drew in a deep breath and took the hand that was closest to her, slowly sliding her fingers along his. "And Andros?"

"Yeah?"

She breathed out slowly, murmuring, "I think I've fallen in love with you."

Andros froze, unable to anything but stare as her words slowly took on meaning, brightening his entire world. "Really?" he breathed finally. Ashley nodded her head slowly, and he couldn't keep himself from grinning any longer. "Good," he declared and caught her gently by the chin, slowly turning her face to his. "Because I've fallen in love with you."

"The Astro Megaship will be arriving at Auriga in fifteen minutes."

"We should get to the bridge," she muttered regretfully as their kiss ended, wanting nothing more than to just savor this moment with him, but she knew that their duties came first.

"Yeah," Andros sighed. "We should."

Ashley crawled out of his bed to let him stand, catching his hands as they headed out the door. Still focusing most of his attention on her, Andros almost tripped when something skirted past his legs and into his room. Ashley giggled as her kitten hopped up onto his bed and settled himself comfortably on his pillow.

"You don't mind if he stays, do you?"

"Not really," he sighed, studying the small ball of gray fluff for a few moments. "Deca will keep an eye on him."

"Yeah," Ashley agreed, and then giggled again as she took a good look at him. "You might want to change," she suggested, reaching out to tug playfully at his sweatshirt.

He rolled his eyes, but then laughed and nodded with a rueful smile. "You go on," he said, ducking back into his room. "I'll be there in a minute."

Ashley nodded and practically skipped to the bridge, having to fight hard to tone down her smile. She stopped just before entering, running a hand through her hair to smooth it back into place and giving her clothes a tug to straighten them out.

"Where have you been all this time?" Cassie demanded with a knowing grin, not even waiting for Ashley to get to her seat before speaking up. "And where's Andros?"

"He'll be here in a minute," she answered, slipping into her seat and running weapons checks from her station. "He needed to change."

"Uh-huh." Carlos didn't look up from his station. "Mega-accelerator still at optimum power."

"Same for the defenses," Cassie looked up with a frown. "It's been quiet this whole trip."

"Did I miss anything?" Andros stepped onto the bridge now dressed in his flight suit, his hair pulled back neatly into a ponytail. He looked as though he were struggling to surpress a smile himself, Ashley noted, and bit down on her lip to keep from grinning or giggling.

"We're in the atmosphere now," Zhane announced from one of the auxiliary consoles. "I'd say about ten minutes to go."

"Eleven minutes and thirty-four seconds to destination," Deca corrected him.

"Same difference," the silver ranger retorted. "Does anyone remember me saying 'we'll be there in exactly ten minutes?' I don't think so."

Andros heard Ashley laugh, but he was too distracted to wonder what his friend would be eating for dinner. This wouldn't be the homecoming that they had dreamed of since they had fled KO-35, but it was still a reunion--the first that he would have with his people in two years. He couldn't help but be apprehensive.

Ashley's hand on his arm startled him, but when he glanced over at her it was to find a gentle smile on her face. He nodded in answer to the question she hadn't asked, reassured by her presence alone that everything would be all right.

"Any sign of what attacked them?"

"None," Karone informed him. "Energy readings for this planet are what we should expect."

"Well, then," Andros decided, "get us down there. We'll find out soon enough."

**---**

"You were attacked by rangers?" Andros glanced over his shoulder instinctively and found his teammates staring back at him, equally alarmed. "Are you sure?"

"I saw them myself," Kinwon confirmed. "They were nearly identical to yourselves."

"But not completely? So you were able to tell us apart?" Carlos sounded hopeful at that news, and Andros couldn't deny that he felt any differently.

"Not at first glance, no," Taikwa put in. "And in the case of Zhane and Karone, they would be identical; the blocks across the chest were all black."

"That's it?" Andros didn't need to glance over his shoulder this time to know how alarmed the two of them were; he could sense it in an almost painful rush of mental communication.

"I'm afraid so."

Andros tried not to sigh, but he couldn't help himself. If these so-called rangers truly were that close to themselves in appearance, he didn't know how they could fight them. If the light was dim, it would be impossible to see the color of the blocks and with a battle raging around them it would be so easy to become confused.

"It's better than nothing, right?" Ashley encouraged them, and Andros had a feeling he wasn't the only one slightly cheered by her words. He didn't know how she could do that, but he wouldn't trade it for anything.

"Yeah," he agreed quietly, and turned back to Kinwon and Taikwa. "Do you know where they are now?"

"They were headed north when--"

"When we last saw them," someone else interjected. Andros glanced up at the cold voice, carefully studying the man in the doorway. He was dressed in the uniform of a Karovan soldier, yet Andros had never seen him before. The only thing that disturbed him more than the disdain in this soldier's expression was not being the only one to spot it; he felt the other rangers shift uncomfortably, unconsciously taking a few steps closer to each other.

"But they could be anywhere now," the soldier continued as he strode into the room, almost stepping on Zhane's toes when he stopped. "Anywhere at all."

"Yatru," Taikwa broke in sternly. "These are our rangers."

"How do we know this?" Yatru countered. "What's to say that these imposters cannot take human form?"

"Hey," Cassie exclaimed, her tone reflecting an annoyance felt by them all. "We--"

She broke off when Kinwon held up a hand for silence. "That is enough," he declared, a note of finality in his voice. "Yatru, I suggest you return to your post."

"Kinwon, we can't know that they aren't spies," Yatru protested. "We shouldn't take the chance."

"And what are you suggesting," Taikwa retorted, "that we kill our own rangers? You're out of your mind."

"Of course not," he assured her quickly. "Only that we detain them just long enough to double check that they are, in fact, the Astro Rangers. If they are who they claim to be, they surely would have no objections."

"I don't know about the rest of you," TJ began, "but I've got several objections."

"Agreed." Karone nodded and cocked her head at Yatru. "Look," she stated, "I don't know who you are or what you want, but I do know that you're wasting our time. Get out of our way."

"When you surrender."

"That's enough," Andros growled before anyone else could speak. He carefully nudged Ashley and Zhane out of his way. "We've got a job to do and you're in our way. If you interfere with our mission or attempt to harm anyone on this team in any way, it won't matter that rangers are not trained to harm civilians."

"You don't know who you're dealing with, do you?" Yatru laughed coldly and Andros stepped back instinctively.

"Who are you?" he demanded, falling halfway into a defensive crouch when Yatru stepped away and raised one arm. Instead of attacking as expected, he merely brought his arm back down across himself, glowing faintly orange as his disguise peeled away.

"Darkonda," Zhane growled.

"Catch me if you can, rangers," Darkonda taunted as he took off down the hall.

Carlos was the first to conquer his shock. "Let's go," he shouted and raced out after Darkonda, the others only a step behind.

"Where'd he get to?" Zhane snapped in frustration when they found the hallways clear.

"Outside, I think," Cassie offered from behind Carlos.

"Come on, then," Andros said, moving up to the front of the group. "Everybody ready?"

"Let's rocket!" they shouted together, rushing up the stairs and into the bright sun of Auriga's surface. Where Centaur B had been a storm-ridden dustball, Auriga was a scorching, rocky world. Its original inhabitants, now long gone, had dug out the underground dwellings that now sheltered the Karovans.

Andros winced as the sun beat down on him, the Power surging though him stronger than ever. A quick glance over his shoulder told him that the others were all preoccupied with the search for Darkonda and their own discomfort due to the heat. Relieved, he turned his own attention back to finding Darkonda, remembering suddenly that he'd never talked to Deca about the headache he'd figured came from his morphing. He'd go as soon as this battle was over then, he decided, knowing that it was something he shouldn't put off any longer.

"Hey, guys?" Carlos called. "You don't think this could be a mirage, do you?"

Andros turned slowly, his heart sinking as he saw the seven figures striding quickly towards them. "Sorry," he heard Ashley say to Carlos. "I see them too."

"So we're one-on-one," Zhane tried to shrug it off. "It could be worse."

"You're not supposed to say that," Cassie complained, resting one hand on her Astro Blaster. "That means it gets worse."

"Here they come," Andros muttered. "Who are you?" he demanded loudly, watching the seven other rangers halt together only a few meters in front of them.

"Rangers," the other red ranger responded calmly.

"We are the Power Rangers." TJ strongly emphasized the "we". "What do you want?"

"We," the blue informed him, "are the Psycho Rangers."

"Where's Darkonda?" Karone demanded. "Won't he fight us himself?"

"You'll have your hands full with us," her Psycho Ranger warned, and Andros sighed.

"Let's get this over with," he growled, quickly summoning his Spiral Saber and watching the other rangers do likewise. The weapon was knocked from his hand before he'd even raised it completely and he found himself staggering back across the rocky ground, struggling hard just for balance. Only a few kicks later, he was down on his knees and almost unable to force himself back up.

Psycho Red's hand closed in on his helmet and the strangest sensation ran through him. Memories flashed through his mind, everything he knew was being drained from him. Andros felt himself growing weaker as his energy was quickly depleted as well and reached up desperately, pulling on Psycho Red's arm with what little strength he still had in him.

It all stopped abruptly and he dropped to the ground, his Spiral Saber less than an arm's reach away. Dazed and disoriented, he reached for it, dimly aware that the other rangers were doing much the same thing. Somehow, he staggered to his feet, clutching his weapon with both of his hands.

His saber was poised to attack when he stopped and turned slowly as another Power surge tore through him like lightning. What was he doing? he wondered. How could he be sure that this was the right side to fight on? The Astro Rangers were losing so badly... it would be so simple, really, if he just joined the others...

_No._ His eyes widened in horror as he realized what he was thinking, and it was all he could do to drop his saber before he hurt someone. Andros thought he heard someone scream his name in warning, but he couldn't move; he couldn't do anything but just stand there, frozen. Something slammed into him then and he had a vague suspicion that he was in motion before darkness took him.

**---**

His head hurt. For several seconds, maybe several minutes, the painful throbbing in his brain was the only thing in existence. Then, slowly, too-loud voices penetrated the haze surrounding his mind and he winced as that only made his headache worse.

"Andros?" Pain stabbed at his temples as someone shouted his name almost in his ear. His hands ached to clamp down over his ears, but he didn't have to energy to open his eyes, let alone move his arms. "Hey, guys, I think he's awake..."

His ribs hurt, too. This he discovered when a less then gentle finger prodded at his side and waves of pain shot through him. A groan slipped out of his mouth and he forced his eyes open, glaring weakly at the silver ranger.

"What?" he snapped, or tried to. His voice was little more than a hoarse whimper.

"He's awake," Zhane pronounced.

"Thank you, Zhane," Carlos could be heard muttering. "We couldn't see it ourselves."

"Shut up," Andros mumbled, finally having the strength to pull his hands up to his temples. "Be quiet. All of you."

To his relief, they did quiet. He shut his eyes, eager to escape back into sleep, only to open his eyes again in annoyance when someone shook his shoulder gently. His glare softened when he saw that it was Ashley at his side, a sling supporting one arm.

"Hey," she whispered softly. "How do you feel?"

"My head hurts," he muttered back, and she smiled at him sympathetically.

"You've got a concussion," she informed him. "You're lucky your morph held as long as it did; if you'd hit your head any harder it would have been serious. You've also got a few cracked ribs but other than that you're all right and the Power should have you healed by morning," she added, her voice still quiet enough that it wouldn't disturb him. "As soon as you can sit up, we'll get a regenerator on you."

His head was spinning. "Everyone else?"

"Cassie's got a severely sprained ankle and TJ broke his arm," she informed him softly. "Carlos just left to take them some pain relievers; he's just got a few bruises. Same with Karone... I think she's on the bridge. Zhane couldn't manage to get her to rest."

"And you?"

"It's nothing," Ashley assured him. "I'll only have this thing a day."

"Shoulder injury," Zhane spoke up when she didn't elaborate. "She'll be fine and I am apparently resistant to injury or death. Can you sit up?"

"Yeah," he sighed. What he really wanted to do was sleep, but that didn't appear to be an option. "I think," he amended, tilting his head and moaning when pain stabbed through his brain.

"You've only got one good arm," Zhane said sternly when Ashley moved to help. "There's a pain reliever in the Synthetron; go get it."

Ashley rolled her eyes but did as she was ordered, retrieving the small cup of nasty looking liquid from the med bay's Synthetron. Andros was sitting up by the time she returned, though his eyes were squeezed shut again. The regenerator healing his ribs was visible beneath his shirt and Ashley sighed, simply hating to see him in pain.

"Are you feeling nauseous?" she questioned him.

"No," he muttered. "Just the headache."

"Good." She handed him the cup, supporting his unsteady hand with her own. "Drink this."

"Now I am," he grumbled, wrinkling his nose in distaste as he cracked his eyes open. Carefully, he managed to tilt his head back just enough that he'd be able to swallow and gulped it down quickly, hoping he'd miss the taste. He didn't and almost gagged, wincing as swallowing triggered a new wave of pain and dizziness. Ashley's hand rubbed his back soothingly, and he managed not to throw up.

"You okay?"

He caught himself just before he tried to nod. "I'm fine."

"Just a few more minutes and you can go rest," Ashley assured him.

Andros found the concept a highly appealing one. "What else?"

"Well..." Zhane hesitated. "It's probably nothing really, but well, right before Psycho Red grabbed you, you'd stopped."

"And?" he prompted.

"What made you stop?" Zhane wanted to know, and Andros sighed.

"I don't know," he admitted. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. "I think... instead of him draining my energy, I absorbed some of his."

Drowsy as he was, Andros didn't miss the look Ashley and Zhane shared. "Why would you think that?" Ashley asked finally.

"It didn't happen to you?" He looked up in surprise and winced. He shouldn't move his head. "But... for a few seconds, I thought that I--I was... one of them," he finished uncertainly, watching them with a slowly sinking heart. "That didn't happen to you guys?"

"No," Ashley said slowly. "The Psychos drained us; they didn't give us their energy."

"But I--Then what happened to me?" he demanded. "If that wasn't from the Psychos..."

"Well, see, that's the thing," Zhane began, running one hand through his short hair awkwardly. "When we were trying to figure out what exactly the Psychos did to us, it turns out that right when you stopped fighting, your Power signature, it, well..."

"What is it?" He was sleepy again. "Just tell me."

"Later," Ashley broke in firmly. "It's a long explanation and you need to rest."

Rest. He liked that idea. Ashley helped him to his feet, gripping him hard as he braced himself against her. She ordered Deca to teleport them straight to his room, eliminating the need for him to walk anywhere but the few steps to his bunk.

"I'll wake you up in an hour to make sure you're all right," Ashley whispered, helping him out of his boots. "I'm not leaving you alone right now, and nothing you say is going to change my mind."

Andros smiled faintly at her words, the cool darkness of his room soothing the pounding ache in his head. He felt her settle the sheet over him and then settle herself comfortably beside him and that was all he was aware of before slipping back into the welcome darkness of sleep.

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait between chapters. The next one should be up in only a few days. I hope it was worth the wait; please review!


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 11**

"Wake up," Ashley whispered, leaning down to caress his hair. "Andros..."

He twitched when she laid a hand on his shoulder and shook gently, slowly responding to her voice in his ear. "Ash?" he mumbled groggily.

"That's me," she murmured, grazing the side of his forehead with her lips. "How do you feel?"

"Better." He paused and gave his head an experimental shake. "Just a headache, now."

"I got you some breakfast, if you're hungry," she offered, sitting down beside him. "Or are you feeling sick again?"

"I'm okay," he assured her, slowly rolling over onto his back and stretching his arms and legs without feeling so much as a twinge from his ribs. "And breakfast sounds great."

"Good," she said, and bent over to pick up a tray from the floor. "Eat; I'll be back later, okay?"

He nodded and took the tray from her, smiling to show his gratitude. "Thanks, Ash," he said quietly.

She only smiled at him. "Eat," she repeated. "I'm going to go see how Cassie and TJ are doing."

Andros picked up his fork and studied the food she'd set in front of him, only looking up when he heard Ashley giggle. He didn't have to wonder what was so funny for long; a moment later he was shifting his food out of Oddball's reach.

"You two look cute together," she grinned. "Keep each other company; I'll be right back."

Andros sighed loudly when the kitten looked up at him and meowed quietly. Oddball wouldn't stop sniffing the air, and Andros had a hunch that he wanted to do more than just smell food. He tried to eat quickly.

He set the tray on his dresser when he was finished and grabbed up a change of clothes before heading into the bathroom for a quick shower. Ashley sat cross-legged on his bed when he returned, Oddball curled up in her lap and sleeping soundly.

"Hey," she said cheerfully, her voice quiet so the kitten wouldn't wake. "You really are better."

"Why wouldn't I be?" He paused. "How are Cassie and TJ?"

"TJ's arm will take another day or two to heal, but Cassie should be back on her feet in no time," she said, frowning slightly. "Just hope there's no attack between now and then..."

"Seems like a waste of hope," he commented darkly, sitting down to brush the tangles out of his damp hair. "They know we're weakened and they'll take advantage of that."

Ashley considered that for a few moments before scrunching up her nose at him. "You," she said finally, "have got to learn to be more optimistic. Even if you're right--and you probably are," she admitted, "what's the point in sitting around and waiting for something bad to happen?"

"There isn't any," he conceded, and sighed. "But I'm not very good at being optimistic."

"It's easy," she smiled. "You just don't assume that the world's going to end every day."

"Hey," he protested indignantly, though he was smiling. "I don't think that every day... at least not anymore," he added quietly, and she giggled.

"Oh really?" she teased, gently scratching between Oddball's ears. "Since when?"

"Since--" Andros stopped and considered that seriously for a few moments. "Since a few weeks ago," he answered finally. "Ever since Zhane and Karone rescued you guys and brought you here."

Ashley laughed and shook her head. "Are you serious?"

"Well, maybe a few days after that," he said thoughtfully, shrugging slightly. "Sometime around then. Hey, Ash?" he asked abruptly. "Yesterday, in the med bay, there was something bothering you and Zhane..."

"Oh, that." Ashley was suddenly fascinated by her kitten. "Look, Andros--"

"Ashley, Karone and Zhane wish to see you on the bridge," Deca broke in, and relief washed across her face before she could hide it.

"I'll be right there."

Andros didn't say anything as she eased Oddball out of her lap and stood. She left without saying good-bye and he sighed, wondering what it was that was so important.

He smiled slightly when the kitten meowed after her, reaching out to stroke the soft fur gently. Oddball was comforted by the gesture and Andros sighed again, this time pulling the still tiny ball of fluff onto his lap. He didn't really think Ashley would mind if he dumped the kitten into her arms--and he **really** wanted to know what was going on with the rest of the team.

Without a word, he scooped Oddball up and left his room, heading for the bridge. He heard their voices float down the hall and frowned when he distinctly caught the phrase, "should tell him..." Andros slowed his pace to almost nothing and hoped to sneak in quietly enough that he wasn't noticed, but Oddball meowed loudly and the four huddled over one of the consoles broke apart.

"Oh, hey, Andros," Carlos was the first to speak up. "What are you doing here?"

Andros pointed to the kitten, who promptly squirmed down out of his arms and ran off. "He wanted Ashley. What are you doing here?" he continued without pausing, eyeing each of them warily. He crossed his arms across his chest when no one answered, waiting without much patience for someone to speak up.

"Shouldn't you be in bed or something?" Zhane asked finally, his eyes straying to the others for help.

Andros glared around the room. "Someone explain."

"I will," Ashley volunteered, but she didn't look happy about it. "Yesterday in the infirmary, you said that for a few seconds you thought you were one of them."

"I'm not going to like this, am I?" he sighed, and then shrugged. "And?"

"And right when you froze up, Deca's monitors recorded your Power surging up and down like crazy," Ashley told him. "That might not be so bad, but if it's true that you thought you were evil, then she has this theory and it's not really very good..."

She stopped babbling and Andros sighed again. "Okay," he said finally. "What is it?"

"Well," Ashley began, and then glanced up at Deca's camera. "Deca, you explain."

"When Cosmos first acquired the red morpher, he would have been unable to harness the Power," Deca explained. "The Power by nature is good and by choice he is not. It would have taken a great deal of energy, likely magical, to allow him to control the Power and over time, it would have adapted to his nature which now renders it incompatible with yours."

Andros rubbed his forehead as he tried to make sense of that. "What?"

"Cosmos turned the Power evil and now the Power wants to turn you evil," Zhane supplied helpfully.

"What?" Andros couldn't think of anything else to say. He glanced down at his morpher automatically, carefully raising his wrist for closer inspection. It looked exactly the same as it always had, felt exactly the same on his wrist.

"Of course, we don't really know if it's true or not," Zhane added softly. "It's just our... most likely theory," he admitted reluctantly. "But not our only one."

"And there's still problems with it," Karone broke in thoughtfully as he just stood there, slightly dazed and not truly hearing her. "Ashley, for one. Lyra had that morpher for six years and Ashley's never had anything like this happen."

Zhane frowned, considering that. "Maybe... the Power fixed itself? Or Zeah fixed it? Nothing strange happened to her, either. I don't think we have to worry about it, though."

"No, probably not." Andros managed to find his voice again, glaring down at his wrist as he spoke. "But how do I fix this?"

"We don't know," Carlos spoke up for the first time. "We don't even know if that's what happened."

"Deca?" He looked to her nearest eye reluctantly, willing to accept whatever she told him as the truth, however unhappy it made him.

"Carlos is correct," she agreed. "Assuming that my theory is correct, which is likely, until I know for certain what was done to the Power, I know of no way to reverse the effects."

"So until we do," Zhane added cautiously, "we were hoping that you might consider, you know, not fighting..."

Andros hesitated, his head spinning. He could understand perfectly why they wouldn't want him to morph. He wasn't sure he wanted to himself if this was the risk that he was taking. But if they fought another battle like the one they had yesterday and they were short even one ranger, he wasn't sure that they would all survive. They'd barely made it through even with him, and they were all still recovering from their injuries. He didn't know how long they could fight like that.

"No," he said firmly. Karone opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off. "I'll be careful," he promised. "But after yesterday, we can't afford to be short even one member."

"True." Zhane sighed. "But I don't like this."

Andros didn't either. "I'll be careful," he promised again, determined to keep fighting somehow. "If it gets too much, I'll... leave or something."

"In the middle of a fight?" Carlos asked skeptically.

"If I have to," he agreed reluctantly. The idea of abandoning his friends when they needed him didn't appeal at all, but if he didn't leave and lost control of himself... He didn't want to hurt anyone. Or worse. _Again,_ his mind whispered cruelly, but he quickly shook off the pangs of guilt. That was different, and he didn't have time to think about it now.

"Fine." Zhane sighed. "But when it's too much, you really had better stop."

"I will." Andros glanced at Ashley, who had been strangely quiet for several minutes now. She was studying him intently, her arms folded across her chest as she caught his eye and held his gaze for several minutes.

"Be careful," she said finally. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

He was more worried about harming her than himself, but Andros only nodded. Ashley stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him then, holding him close to her for a long time. Andros hugged her back, the feel of her arms around him and the sweet scent of her hair reassuring him. As long as he had her, he felt everything would be okay. How could it not be, when Ashley could always find a way to make him look on the bright side?

That feeling vanished the moment the alarm shrilled. "Deca, what's happening?" he demanded, asking more out of habit than need. He already knew.

"The Psycho Rangers are attacking Angel Grove," Deca confirmed.

"Keep Cassie and TJ here," he ordered. "I don't care what they say; they're injured."

"You're sure about this?" Ashley asked one last time, presumably speaking for the entire group. He nodded once and no one questioned him, though he had a funny feeling they would have liked to.

"Ready?" he asked, quickly flipping open his morpher. "Let's rocket!"

Deca teleported them to the battle scene without being asked, and the Megaship vanished from sight in a bright flash. They landed side by side in the business district and spotted their enemies immediately. The seven figures were unmistakable, all striding towards the five of them with their movements perfectly in sync with each other.

Andros swallowed hard, standing straight with his weapon in hand but knowing this wouldn't go well at all, no matter whether he tried Ashley's optimistic outlook or his own more realistic one. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ashley clutching her Star Slinger and Carlos gripping his Lunar Lance and knew that Zhane and Karone were doing the same on his other side. It was almost enough to make him hopeful; they knew as well as he that this battle would go horribly for them and yet they were standing strong and ready to fight.

"Back for more already?" Psycho Yellow laughed.

"You wish," Ashley growled, and with that, they attacked each other.

Both sides met in the middle, but the Psychos outnumbered them and already they had an advantage after reading their minds the day before. Clearly, they'd memorized their every move. Not only that, they were stronger and smarter--much stronger, Andros realized with a pained gasp as he took a knee to the stomach from Psycho Red.

He doubled over instinctively, only to be slammed hard between the shoulder blades by Psycho Blue. Coughing, he hit the ground hard and rolled, arching his back and snapping quickly to his feet. He'd barely regained his balance before taking another hit, to his side this time, and he stumbled. His head pounded and his ribs ached, his freshly healed wounds from the day before flaring back to life.

Andros didn't see the next blow coming and he fell forward limply, tumbling to the ground again and thinking he saw Karone do the same and he put out his hands to break his fall. His strength was draining rapidly, but he struggled to get up nonetheless, knowing that he had no other choice.

He saw his teammates doing the same and somehow that was enough to force him up. His Spiral Saber lay discarded some twenty feet away, right where he'd dropped it. Andros quickly gave up on the idea of lunging for it; he hadn't managed to work in a hit yet and it would be a total waste of desperately needed energy. He reached for his Astroblaster instead and aimed, only to realize that there was no one there any longer. Surprised and confused and expecting a trap, Andros looked around carefully and saw the others doing the same. When minutes passed without the reappearance of their enemies, they staggered towards each other to form a small circle.

"What just happened here?"

"At least they're gone now," Andros said firmly to answer Carlos's slightly dazed question.

"And you're okay?" Karone demanded.

"I'm fine." He nodded and sighed. "How you meant it, anyway; we can't keep losing like this."

"We'll figure something out," Zhane spoke up decisively. "We always do."

Andros smiled slightly when Ashley chimed in with "You're right." From her, he wouldn't have expected anything else and to his surprise, he believed her.

"Deca," he said quietly into his communicator. "Five to teleport."

**Author's Note:** Okay, here's the thing: I start school again Monday. I'll do the best that I can, but no promises. I want to have this finished late December or early January, though, and that seems to be perfectly doable at the moment, so don't give up on me yet. :grins: Review?


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 12**

Andros glared over at his morpher, suspended in mid-air just because he wanted it to be. Almost a week, and nothing. No Psychos, no Cosmos, no Lyra, not even a Quantron or two. As nice as the peace was, none of them thought for a second that it would last much longer, and the more time that passed without a disturbance, the more worried he was.

He knew he wasn't the only one growing restless, but the others didn't have his problem, either. He didn't dare remain morphed for more than a few minutes during training sessions. His team was adjusting to covering for him, but he didn't like it a bit and knew that they didn't either.

His morpher beeped, and Andros grabbed it out of the air. He rolled onto his back, sighing heavily before he answered. "This is Andros."

"Hey, it's me," Ashley's voice spoke to him cheerfully. "Are you busy right now?"

He briefly considered lying, and then sighed again. "No, not really. Why?"

"I haven't seen you for awhile, that's all," she told him. "Want to come over?"

"Where are you?"

"My house. Deca knows the coordinates."

"Okay, then," he agreed, slightly reluctantly. "I'll be there in a minute."

"See you then," Ashley chirped, and cut the connection from her end.

Andros let out a deep breath before sitting up. It wasn't that he didn't want to see her. He did, and very much so. She just always seemed to catch him at those moments when he didn't feel like doing much else besides thinking. Still, he couldn't say no to her, and so he got out of bed and quickly changed out of his flight suit to something that would blend in easily down on Earth.

"Deca, teleport me to Ashley's house," he requested softly, straightening the button down shirt he wore open over a tank top. "Or as close to it as you can."

No sooner had he spoken than he found himself standing in Ashley's driveway. She must have been watching for him; her arms were around him in a welcoming hug only a second later and there was nothing he could do but hug her back.

"Hi," he said, smiling a little.

"Hi," she whispered back, finally letting go of his neck. "How are you?" She studied his face intently. "You're looking serious again."

"I can't help it," he muttered. "There's a lot on my mind."

"I know." Ashley smiled sympathetically. "Hungry?"

"I could go for some lunch," he agreed, following her into the house as he spoke. "Is anyone else home?"

"My parents are gone for the weekend and Jeff--my brother--is out somewhere," she informed him. "So, no, we're alone."

An impish grin followed her words and Andros felt himself blush. "I didn't mean that," he added quickly, realizing how else his words could be taken. "I just wanted to know if we could talk about ranger business here."

"Oh, I know," she assured him, beginning to pull food out of the refrigerator. "And my family knows I'm a ranger so it wouldn't matter... and you're really cute when you're blushing."

He glared at her, and she giggled. "Well, you are!"

"That doesn't mean you have to say it every single day," he complained, good-naturedly enough that she knew he wasn't bothered by it--yet.

She set the loaf of bread down on the counter and turned to face him, considering that. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't realize it was bothering you."

"It wasn't," he assured her. Andros shrugged and kicked at the floor. "But--you're not the first person to tell me that. It gets old."

"Oh," Ashley said, understanding. She thought for a moment longer, and then smiled teasingly. "I could always kiss you instead."

Andros pretended to think that over, sighing loudly. "Well, if you insist..." He was cut off by Ashley pressing her lips to his.

"You're always cute," she murmured, kissing him again.

He wrinkled his nose at her, grinning mischievously. Ashley backed up quickly when she caught the glint in his eyes, but he was faster and soon had his arms wrapped around her waist, thoroughly enjoying her shrieks of laughter as he tickled her mercilessly.

After a brief struggle, Ashley managed to wrench herself free and darted out of the room. Andros chased after her, still laughing, lunch and his Power troubles completely forgotten. She was in the living room when he caught up with her, jumping when he grabbed her from behind.

Ashley doubled over, giggling helplessly. Andros thought he heard her gasp out his name, but her words were too full of laughter for him to be sure. She tried to jerk away and they both stumbled when he was laughing too hard to let go.

Andros collapsed onto the couch and she fell against him, managing to find just enough strength to pull herself up onto the couch the rest of the way before dissolving into giggles yet again. He couldn't seem to stop laughing, either, and that only seemed to make Ashley crack up even more, so they just sat there laughing until their sides hurt.

"That," Ashley gasped weakly, still giggling, "was so not fair."

"You started it," Andros pointed out, his eyes closed. He wasn't breathing as hard now, but felt far too lazy to do anything else but just lie there with her.

Ashley apparently wasn't feeling the same. "I started it?" she repeated indignantly. "All I did was kiss you."

Andros opened his mouth to retort and then closed it again, shrugging. He really didn't have the energy winning an argument against her would require. Ashley giggled at him and slid closer, laying a hand on his cheek. When he looked at her, she kissed him hard, effectively silencing any further argument from him.

Ashley slid across his lap and he wrapped his arms around her waist, trailing fingers up and down her spine. Her tank top was thin, thin enough that he could feel easily the heat of her body pressed against his.

She squirmed closer, and Andros caught his breath when he felt her fingers in his hair. Ashley tugged playfully at his ponytail, her fingers smoothing down his hair after she freed it from the elastic band that had held it in place. That felt good, too good to not make him want more.

He shifted restlessly when her lips touched his again, his hands slipping tentatively beneath her tank top. Her skin was soft beneath his fingers, and somehow, he kept himself from doing anything more than just holding her. Ashley tore her mouth away from his, nipping playfully at his lower lip before slowly kissing her way across his jaw... down his neck...

Andros moaned quietly when she found the soft spot between his neck and shoulder, his arms moving automatically to wrap around her again when she pushed his shirt over his shoulders. He was left in the white tank top and even that seemed too much for what he wanted...

He wanted **her**. Andros almost started as the realization dawned, but the motion was somewhat lost among Ashley's own movements. His head had fallen back against the couch and Ashley didn't waste any time, kissing and licking and nibbling her way across his neck. He gasped quietly when he felt her lips just beneath his jaw, tingles shooting up and down his spine.

"Ashley," he groaned, feeling his self-control rapidly slipping away. "Ash..."

"Yeah?" she murmured breathlessly.

Andros realized dimly that his hands weren't resting on her waist any longer. His fingers were tracing her spine now, and that seemed to be a sensitive spot, if the way she was acting was anything to judge by.

"I--" She nipped at his earlobe and he couldn't remember what he'd been about to say. "Never mind," he muttered, pulling her closer. "It wasn't important..."

In the back of his mind, Andros knew that hadn't been quite right, but it felt so good and his hands were sliding down her back again. He loved the feel of her skin beneath his hands, and from her breathing he guessed that she didn't exactly mind the sensation either.

What was the harm, really? he wondered, his hands wandering across the backs of her legs. It wasn't like they would do anything while they were on the couch in front of an open window. And Ashley was pushing more than he was...

Andros jerked when he heard their morphers beep, his mind slamming back down into his body and beginning to function again. _I want her. _That was the only thought in him for several moments afterward, as Ashley fell back onto the couch, still breathing heavily but calming down more quickly than he did.

"What is it, Deca?"

"Cosmos has appeared in Angel Grove Park."

"We'll be right there."

Andros was careful not to look at her as he pulled his shirt back on. Ashley quickly straightened her own clothing and stood, seemingly avoiding his gaze as much as he was avoiding hers.

"We need to talk," she said quietly, and all he could do was nod. "Later," she amended, reaching for her morpher.

He did the same, trepidation slowly welling up within him. "Ready?" She nodded. Andros took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Let's rocket!"

**Author's Note:** Yes, I know it's short. I figured you guys could use a bit of fluff before the next few chapters, and if you don't... I do. Hehe. I'll write as much as I can over the long weekend and hopefully the next chapter will be up soon. Review?


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 13**

"Cosmos!" Andros skidded to a halt on the grass, Ashley right behind him. "What do you want now?"

"Hello, little brother," Cosmos greeted him almost amiably. "Did you miss me?"

Andros growled, his hands clenching on his Spiral Saber. His brother smirked at him, raising his own sword. Cosmos's new uniform was still red armor, but like Lyra, he had no visor. Andros wished that he would get one; he couldn't stand the smug look on Cosmos's face and he wanted dearly to wipe it away.

Ashley laid a hand on his arm, probably the only thing that kept rage from getting the better of him. Andros let out a deep breath, readjusted his grip on his weapon, and hesitated. Cosmos seemed to be in no hurry to attack, and while there was no reason why they shouldn't attack first, Andros didn't want to.

"Why are you here?" he finally questioned, and Cosmos chuckled darkly.

"I thought I'd witness your defeat up close this time."

Ashley's grip on his arm tightened, and Andros realized why he was waiting. _Where was the rest of the team?_

"What have you done with our friends?" Andros demanded.

"Absolutely nothing." Cosmos smirked. "You're jumping to conclusions, little brother."

"Then where are they?" Ashley spoke up, her hand no longer on Andros's arm.

"How should I know?" Cosmos shrugged. "Oh--you do remember the Psycho Rangers?"

**---**

"TJ, look out!"

He had no more warning than that before Carlos tackled him from behind, both of them landing hard as the air above them crackled. Carlos rolled away and scrambled to his feet, lunging forward just in time to block the swing of Psycho Blue's ax.

"You okay, man?" he called over his shoulder.

"I'll be fine!" TJ shouted back, flipping out of the way before Psycho Black could make one of his attacks stick.

He winced as he saw his friend fly through the air; Psycho Blue had thrown Carlos out of his way and was once again intent on taking him down. TJ ducked away from the first swing and just barely dodged the second, but he wasn't so lucky the third time. Both Psychos attacked together, and he caught the full force of the blows in the chest.

Carlos was staggering to his feet when TJ stumbled back into him. Both rangers went down and both Psychos approached, weapons raised. TJ rolled over onto his side, dizzy and disoriented.

"Have... to--get back up," he mumbled, and heard Carlos grunt in agreement.

"Can't let them win..."

"You don't really think you can beat us, do you?" Psycho Blue sneered, his footsteps slow and measured. "You're weak, blue ranger, all of you."

TJ groaned as he straightened up, only strength of will keeping him on his feet. Carlos wasn't doing much better, his steps shaky and unbalanced. Still, they stood strong, weapons in hand, ready to fight.

The two Psychos raised their hands together and the air sizzled with the strength behind the energy attack. TJ had time to catch one glimpse of green light before his world went dark.

**---**

This was all going nicely. Lyra smiled to herself when Psycho Pink planted a foot into Cassie's chest, knocking her into Karone. Already weakened by the battle, both girls almost collapsed.

"Karone!"

Zhane couldn't do more than shout to her. Psycho Silver had thrown him down ages ago and so far hadn't tired of beating him relentlessly. Karone half-turned at the sound of his voice, but not quickly enough. Psycho Violet slashed her across the chest and Karone collapsed. She lay unmoving where she fell, unresponsive to the continuing attacks.

"Karone!"

Zhane's cry was more urgent now, followed by his own scream of pain. Lyra's smile widened at the sound. Only Cassie remained on her feet now, and that would change shortly.

With Karone presumably unconscious and Zhane too weak to move, the three Psychos turned their full attention on the pink ranger. Cassie's Satellite Stunner was useless against them, and she went down, but not before taking a blow from each of them.

Lyra's smile curled into a full-fledged grin. This was all going perfectly. If only the Psychos could finish them off here and now, she thought with a sigh. If only their powers would drain Dark Spectre just a little faster...

"Let's finish this," Psycho Silver growled, sword raised. The other Psychos murmured their agreement, and Lyra stepped forward to take charge.

"No," she snapped. "No, not yet."

"But--"

"Not yet, I said," she repeated, leveling her glare against Psycho Pink. "We'll drain them slowly, and then kill them. Be patient, you **will** kill them. If not--I'll kill **you.**"

The Psychos grumbled, but obeyed. This time. Lyra let out a deep breath as they vanished, knowing that someday soon their volatile tempers would get the best of them. For now, they were content to attack the rangers zealously, but they were quickly growing antsy to do more than that, and it showed.

Her eyes lingered on Zhane and Karone's prone forms, lying just as they had fallen. Once upon a time, she had fought along side of them; now she stood over them, victorious.

It was an oddly unsettling triumph. _"We vow to fight as a team forever..."_

_"Lyra."_ The memory faded at Cosmos's voice in her mind. _"You're not going to believe this."_

**---**

_No!_ No, this couldn't happen now, not when they were being beaten so badly. Andros staggered away from Psycho Red and fell to his knees when Psycho Yellow kicked him forward and out of her way, but he wasn't feeling that pain now. No, now he was feeling an uncontrollable urge to take his Spiral Saber and plunge it straight through Ashley's heart.

He'd promised to stop fighting the moment the Power turned on him, and even if he hadn't, Andros wouldn't have risked Ashley's life for anything. She wasn't yet aware of the added danger to herself. Psycho Yellow had turned her fury back on Ashley after kicking him out of her way, and Cosmos had joined her, both of them together eliminating any chance she had of holding her own.

"Power down," Andros mumbled desperately, knowing that his morph was all he had to protect himself from Psycho Red, but he couldn't and wouldn't risk harming Ashley. "Power down..."

Nothing happened. Andros repeated the command a dozen times, almost screaming the last. The Power wasn't responding to him at all, and Andros didn't know what to do to make it answer. His mouth wasn't even open, he realized slowly, almost overwhelmed with a sickening sense of dread. He wasn't even in control of his body any longer, but he was fully aware of everything that he did.

If--when--he hurt Ashley, he would feel every moment of it. He would know what it felt like to sink his saber into her skin and cut straight through her. He would know what it felt like to take her life away. Andros had killed only once before in his life and he never wanted to again. Mercy killing or not, he had taken a life away and the memory still haunted him. He couldn't bear it to happen again.

He was horrified to find himself back on his feet, Spiral Saber in hand. Dimly, he noted that both Psycho Rangers were gone now; it was only Cosmos and Ashley now, and Ashley wasn't winning. Andros took a slow step towards them, screaming at himself to stop yet unable to.

_No... Ashley... Ashley... "ASHLEY!"_ Andros screamed her name telepathically, hoping against all hope that she could hear him. He was moving more quickly now, his feet carrying him rapidly across the grass. His saber was raised now and if she didn't move, and move **now**, he was going to cut her down.

"Andros?" Ashley whirled around, and if he could have, Andros would have cried with the relief he felt.

_"Don't let me hurt you." _He had just enough time to warn her before his Spiral Saber slashed through the air. Ashley threw herself backwards, and he wasn't even sure that he had missed her.

"Andros--" Ashley must have realized what was happening, for she stopped talking and started defending herself, blocking the next swing of his arm.

The Psycho Rangers might have weakened her, but they had weakened him as well, and so the two of them were as evenly matched as they could be. Andros didn't find that particularly reassuring.

Ashley had caught ahold of both his wrists somehow, and she kept his arms apart as he struggled against her. "Andros, you have to fight this," she insisted, gripping harder when he nearly threw her off. "You're stronger than it is."

He wasn't. He couldn't control it, he thought despairingly, finally breaking away from her. He couldn't stop himself, no matter how much he wanted to. Ashley must have kicked away his Spiral Saber because he wasn't holding onto it any longer, but she wouldn't hurt him, and he was sick with the fear that she was killing herself by refusing to go on the offensive.

Ashley flipped out of the way of his hurricane kick and he followed her, catching up to her again before she'd gotten far. He knocked her feet out from under her and she tumbled to the ground in a heap. Andros had her pinned before she could move, the pounding of his own heart the only sound he could hear as he recognized that he was going to lose her.

One knee pressed hard into her stomach, forcing the air out of her body as his hands closed around his Astroblaster. He was going to kill her. Andros couldn't even look away as he aimed, grateful that he still couldn't hear anything but his own heartbeat.

Ashley hadn't stopped fighting. His grip faltered slightly when she heaved her weight first to one side and then the other, her hands grabbing madly for his. She caught the hand holding the Astroblaster and tugged hard, trying to pull it out of his grasp. He pulled the trigger.

Ashley didn't move, and his heart nearly stopped. Andros froze, the blaster still in his hand. She was morphed still, he thought wildly. He had to have missed if she was still morphed... right?

"Ashley," he whispered. "Ash..." The few seconds it took for him to remember he couldn't speak out loud were perhaps the most frightening of his life. _"Ashley?"_

He didn't know if she heard him, but he felt her stir beneath him. She knocked the blaster out of his hand before he could move. It wasn't enough to stop him. The Power was still in control, and though he might not have weapons, he could always just break her neck in two...

Andros screamed suddenly, pain rushing to the forefront of his mind and overwhelming everything else, even the darkness that had him firmly in its grasp. Yellow light blinded him as it twisted around his body, loosening the Power's hold on him.

Memory slammed into him and suddenly it wasn't Ashley whose life he was about to take. He hadn't been morphed then, and neither had she, though the morpher had still been around her wrist. He remembered carefully unstrapping the morpher from her arm, searching desperately for a pulse. Her skin had been cold against his, icy beneath his fingers. He'd known then that she was dying, even before his mind had registered the blood.

More pain wracked his body, and the Power seemed to release him a little more. She'd been dying and he had snapped her neck because he couldn't bring himself to shoot her. _No... Ashley... _He couldn't do it again. He couldn't kill anyone like that again, his stomach churning as he remembered the crunch of bone breaking.

Andros couldn't figure out what was going on around him. He thought the Power was gone now, and the pain faded as Lyra called the magic back, but where had she come from and why had she stopped him? The world spun and his eyes landed on Ashley, demorphed now and reaching out for him. She was the last thing he saw before the darkness swallowed him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 14**

_She lay motionlessly where she had fallen, her morph gone and her face shielded by her hair. He didn't need to see her face to know that her eyes were closed. Against his will, his legs carried him forward, his sword arm raised and poised to come crashing down on her..._

"NO!" Andros screamed out and bolted upright in bed. "Ash," he whispered, the lingering images of the nightmare plaguing him. "Ash."

"I'm right here," her voice soothed. He jumped, not able to see her in the darkness that was his room. "It's only a nightmare."

It wasn't. Andros saw the scene in the park unfolding before his eyes, felt himself reaching to kill her, and he knew it had all been very real.

"Andros?" Ashley's voice was soft as she laid a hand on his arm. "Hey, talk to me."

"Why are you here?" Andros couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Because I want to be," Ashley answered immediately, as though it were obvious. "I'll go if you want me to."

"No," he said quickly. That was the last thing he wanted. "I--I just thought that you'd want to stay as far away from me as possible after I almost... killed you," he finished uneasily, feeling compelled to add, "I'll understand if you do."

"Andros," Ashley sighed, feeling for his hand. "That wasn't you and I don't care how guilty you feel, you're not going to convince me otherwise."

"Ash--"

"Not going to work," Ashley said almost cheerfully, and he felt the bed dip as she settled herself next to him. "How are you feeling?"

"I think I'm okay." He hesitated briefly before venturing, "Everyone else?"

"We're all okay now," she assured him. "But Zhane was in pretty bad shape when Cassie and Karone brought him in, and they weren't doing so well, either. Same goes for TJ and Carlos."

Andros let that sink in for a few moments. With an effort, he unclenched his fists and let out a deep breath. "But we're all still alive?"

Ashley's giggle caught him by surprise. "I knew you could be optimistic. And yeah," she continued more seriously, "we are. But this isn't working."

"I know." Andros sighed, frowning. "Ash, what happened after I... What stopped me?"

"You don't remember?" she asked, and he shook his head before he realized that she couldn't see him.

"It's all running together," he said, frustrated by his inability to separate nightmare from reality. "Lyra was there." He knew that was important somehow.

"Yeah." Ashley's voice was troubled. "She did something to you--I think it was her magic--and then you just collapsed."

Andros nodded slowly. That made sense, given the little he remembered before passing out. The only thing that didn't make sense was why Lyra would help him. Killing Ashley would have destroyed him and the team would have fallen apart. Why would Lyra want to stop that?

Ashley squeezed his arm gently. "But there don't seem to be any negative effects from either whatever Lyra did or the Power," she said softly. "You'll be fine."

Physically, maybe, and he knew that's what Ashley had meant. Emotionally, on the other hand... He'd only been awake a few minutes and already that scene was replaying itself time and time again.

Ashley slipped her arms around his waist and hugged him hard. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this," she whispered fiercely. "It wasn't your fault."

"But--"

"Shut up," she snapped, and then kissed him. "Not your fault," she murmured against his lips. "Understood?"

"Yes," he muttered, and she kissed him again. Her mouth lingered against his this time, her breath warm on his skin. Andros relaxed slightly. "I understand."

"Good." Ashley kissed him a third time, and his arms slid around her now, holding her tight. "I love you, Andros. Always."

"Always," he echoed, and buried his face into her hair. "Please don't leave?" Andros didn't even care how desperate he sounded. He needed her there to convince himself that she was still alive.

"Wasn't going to," she whispered back. "But scoot over. I'm not sleeping on the floor."

Andros moved closer to the wall and she slid under the covers. He wasn't much larger than she was, and Ashley had to wiggle around a bit before she was comfortable, but finally she had her head tucked against his shoulder. Her arms ended up pressing against his chest, but Andros couldn't say that he minded.

"Feel better?" she murmured, a yawn stifling her words.

"Yeah," he admitted, hugging her close. "Thanks."

Ashley giggled. "You're welcome."

Andros smiled faintly, everything seeming all right just because she was there with him. "Good night, Ash."

She snuggled a little closer. "Night."

**---**

"I don't **know** why I did," Lyra said crossly. She propped up the pillows on the bed and then threw herself down across the mattress lengthwise. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"And that's what worries Ecliptor and the others," Cosmos tried to soothe her. "You're not impulsive. You think and you plan before you act."

"There wasn't time to think," she retorted. "Another few seconds and the Power probably wouldn't have let go at all."

"That's what I'm saying." Cosmos paused. "If you'd had the time to think about it, would you have done the same?"

"Yes," she answered slowly. "I think I would have."

"But why?"

"Well, if he kills her, that means I can't." Lyra laughed softly to herself and then added seriously, "And no one should have to kill their bondmate."

"What?" Cosmos glanced up, momentarily distracted.

Lyra nodded slowly. "They're bondmates."

"And do **they** know that?"

"It wouldn't surprise me if they never figured it out." Lyra rolled her eyes. "She's Terran and he's Andros."

"You're underestimating him," Cosmos warned. "Even he can't not notice that."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Lyra paused thoughtfully, and then shrugged. "So, how should we kill her?"

"What?" Cosmos looked at her in surprise. "I thought you just said that--"

"That no one should kill their bondmate," Lyra repeated. "Not that she shouldn't die."

"Then we kill him, too," Cosmos said firmly. "If you're right about this, he won't last long without her, anyway."

"Agreed." Lyra stretched her arms above her head before rolling over, craning her neck backwards to still see him as he leaned back against the wall. "You take her and I'll take him? Or would you rather kill him yourself?"

He hesitated. She watched him mull it over, his face thoughtful but otherwise expression. "You do it," he said finally. "I don't want to."

Lyra refrained from reminding him that he had killed both his parents without mercy. "Okay, then," she agreed. "I will."

**---**

Something was tickling his nose. Andros moaned softly and rolled over trying to escape completely back into the warmth of sleep. A loud yowl of annoyance disrupted his sleep completely and he jerked the rest of the way awake, bolting straight up in bed.

"You," he sighed, relaxing as he spotted Oddball curling up right where he had been laying a moment before, his fur a dark pool of gray against the light gray sheets.

His eyes strayed from Oddball to Ashley, still asleep and undisturbed. Andros touched her hair gently, resisting the temptation to do more than that. He didn't want her to wake up, knowing that he would have to face her then. Slowly, he untangled the sheet from his legs and climbed carefully over Ashley.

He pulled on his boots and jacket silently, practically tiptoeing out of the room. Andros wasn't sure what time it was, but it was early and the halls were empty still. The Simudeck doors slid open silently and he entered, not quite sure why he was there when he wasn't going to even try to morph.

"Deca, start the program," he ordered anyway, not caring that he wasn't really dressed for a workout. He'd fought under worse conditions after all, and he really needed the focus training demanded of him.

Except he couldn't focus. Each time that he found himself slipping into the familiar routines, something would inevitably jerk him out of concentration and he would miss a block or an attack. Andros grit his teeth and finished the sim through sheer determination, coming out of it far worse for the wear than he was used to.

Frustrated and annoyed and not about to take on the next level of training, Andros flopped back against the wall and slid slowly to the ground. He knew what was happening to him--after yesterday, he would have been surprised to find that he actually could focus. The total helplessness that had descended on him had been terrifying, being able only to watch as he moved to kill Ashley...

Andros shook his head hard in an effort to banish the thoughts. He couldn't let that fear take him over. He would have to fight it. And somehow, he had to keep fighting as a ranger as well. Andros had no idea **how** he would do this, deciding it was probably safe to assume that the other rangers wouldn't want him risking their lives, not to mention that he wouldn't dare do anything to put them in danger--but he could not and would not give up.

"Restart this level," he requested, climbing to his feet again. He didn't need a morpher.

Deca complied wordlessly, the Simudeck encasing itself in green gridlines before the Craterites appeared. Andros fell into a defensive stance and held it for a moment, then he attacked. His focus wasn't much better than it had been the first time around, but the familiarity of the routine made up for his lack of concentration--somewhat. By the times his arms had darkened with bruises, Andros knew it was time to stop.

Ashley was gone from his room when he returned, though Oddball was sound asleep on his pillow. Andros rolled his eyes and headed into the bathroom to shower, deciding that it was a good thing Ashley had left. While he had been unspeakably grateful for her presence the night before, he wasn't ready to face her just yet.

Whether she blamed him or not, it didn't change what had happened. He had nearly killed her, and Andros knew he wouldn't be able to look her in the eye the next time he saw her. It also wasn't something he was forgiving himself for either easily or soon.

Andros had just stepped out of the shower when the speaker mounted on the bathroom wall clicked on. "Andros, you are needed on the bridge."

"I'll be right there." Andros sighed and quickly dried off. He couldn't say that he was surprised; Ashley must have filled in the rest of the team about what had happened and of course they would want to talk to him.

What **was** surprising was that no one seemed to notice when he stepped onto the bridge. Ashley was nowhere to be seen, but the other five rangers were scattered across the bridge, all scanning for something so far as he could tell.

Andros waited a few moments, then spoke. "You wanted to see me?"

"Andros!" Cassie was the first to react. "When was the last time you saw Ashley?"

Maybe it was the worry that shone clearly in Cassie's dark eyes, but Andros did not want to know why she was asking that question. "I saw her this morning," he finally said. "Maybe an hour ago. Why?"

Cassie's voice was grim as she informed him, "Because she's gone."

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter is dedicated to **Tal** for submitting review 200. Thank you everyone for reading. You're the greatest. :) 


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 15**

All she'd wanted to do was go out and think. Ashley gave another fruitless tug on the cuffs binding her wrists together and sighed, slumping over against the cold wall of her small cell. The cuffs were holding strong and she knew it was useless to try the door.

She'd been relieved to find Andros gone upon waking up. She'd meant every word when she'd told him that it wasn't his fault... but crawling into bed with him had still been one of the scariest things she'd ever done. Andros would never hurt her--but for a few moments the day before, Andros hadn't been Andros, and Ashley knew that's all the time that it would take.

Going home for the day had seemed like the best option. She could see her family and have plenty of time to decide what to do about Andros. It had been a good plan up until the part where the Psychos grabbed her half a block from her home. She'd fought them of course, but when she couldn't even hold off one of them, she didn't stand a chance against three.

Ashley kicked at the wall. Surprisingly, it helped. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes, trying to think. She had to find out where she was and what they wanted with her. Well... Ashley decided she didn't want to know what they wanted with her.

"Yellow ranger."

Ashley's head snapped up. "How did you get in here?"

Lyra sighed. "Magic, remember?"

Ashley didn't respond to that. "What do you want?" she asked finally. Lyra just standing there watching her was beginning to get on her nerves.

She shrugged. "I was bored. I thought visiting you might prove entertaining."

"So sorry to disappoint you," Ashley said sarcastically.

"You haven't." Lyra smirked. "You know, I'm sure your friends have noticed that you're gone by now. They'll be worried. Especially Andros."

"They wouldn't be worried if you just let me go," Ashley pointed out.

Lyra raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so."

Ashley shrugged bravely. She didn't feel as scared as she thought she should. Andros had been vague with the details, but the way his expression would darken every time he mentioned Zeah should have been enough to make her terrified of what was coming.

"Andros would do anything for you," Lyra said quietly, studying her intently. "He'd do anything that I told him to in order to get you back."

Ashley felt sick. Lyra was right about that, and Ashley didn't want to know what she'd just cost Andros. "He won't need to," she retorted. "I don't need him to save me."

Lyra's smile looked almost genuine. "No," she agreed, amused. "He needs you to save him."

Ashley kept quiet, knowing that anything she said in response to that would only make her situation worse. Lyra was only half right--Andros did someone to fight at his side and watch out for him, but so did the rest of them. No one of them could do it alone.

"Does he know you love him?" Lyra asked suddenly.

"That's none of your business."

"Probably not. But I'd hate to kill you if he doesn't know."

"How kind of you," Ashley muttered. "But you'd still kill me?"

"Yes." Lyra smirked. "But I'd hate to."

Ashley hesitated. "I don't think you would," she informed her, feeling her heart pound. "Andros would have killed me yesterday if you hadn't stopped him."

"I wanted the pleasure for myself," Lyra replied smoothly. "It's just not fair if Andros gets to kill you, too."

"You should have killed her," Ashley said softly, suddenly not afraid. She was angry now, furious that Lyra had the nerve to talk this way. "You should have killed her!"

"I know."

Ashley waited, but Lyra didn't say anymore. "Then why didn't you?" she demanded. "Why did you make him do it?"

Lyra was smirking again. "Would you believe that it seemed like a good idea at the time?"

"No," Ashley growled. "You wanted to hurt him."

"Why not?" Lyra shrugged. "It's fun."

"He doesn't think so." Ashley's fists were clenched as she tried not to scream. "You've taken too many people away from him."

"But they were fun for me," Lyra said cheerfully. "Most things I've done to him are fun."

Ashley let out a very slow breath. "If you **ever** hurt him again--"

"You'll kill me?" Lyra raised an eyebrow. "You don't have it in you, yellow ranger--and you won't be around to follow through with it."

She was probably right about the first part. Ashley sighed inwardly. It was one thing to take down Quantrons, destroying metal circuitry. Taking another human life, even if it was Lyra's, wasn't something Ashley was sure that she could do.

But Ashley had no intention of sticking around long enough for either the Psychos or Lyra herself to kill her. Somehow, she was going to get out of here.

**---**

"Any sign of her?" Andros leaned over Karone's shoulder, trying to glimpse the results of the scan.

"Sorry." She sighed and shook her head. "Deca, you can tell the guys that they can stop searching for the time being. I'm not picking up any trace of her."

His face fell. "The Dark Fortress."

"You don't know that," Karone was quick to assure him. "And even if she is that doesn't mean... We don't even know if she was captured."

Andros glared at her. "Her glider is here, she's not answering her communicator, and Deca can't find her signal on Earth. Where else would she be?"

Karone didn't answer.

"Is the Dark Fortress the only place that they'd take her?" Cassie wanted to know. "I mean, you guys keep escaping from there."

Karone smiled faintly. "I doubt she's on the Dark Fortress. Lyra's smarter than that; she knows that's the first place we'd look."

Andros growled softly and kicked at his chair in frustration. "I have to find her."

"Hey, calm down," Cassie said sharply, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You're not helping her any like this."

He slumped slightly when she gave his shoulder a slight squeeze. "I have to find her," he repeated, not protesting when Cassie pulled him into a hug. "I have to."

"We'll find her," she assured him quietly. "Don't worry about that."

"I am worried," he retorted. That was something of an understatement, actually; he felt a moment away from being sick. "And I'm going to feel that way until we find her."

"Andros," Karone began, and he rounded on her.

"Don't tell me to calm down," he snapped. "You of all people know what she's capable of."

He felt Cassie stiffen. "I forgot about that," she whispered. "Lyra, she was the one who--"

"No," Andros muttered. "I was the one who killed her. Lyra only made it necessary."

"Lyra killed her," Karone snapped at him and he saw Cassie nod her agreement. "If you ask anyone else, they'll tell you the same."

"No, Karone," he said quietly. "I killed her and I accept that. That she was dying anyway doesn't change the fact that I killed Zeah, and that I couldn't--" He stopped, realizing too late that he shouldn't tell them that.

"That you couldn't what, Andros?" Karone met his eyes calmly and he glanced away.

"That I couldn't control myself yesterday doesn't change the fact that I almost killed Ashley," he said much more calmly than he felt. Karone's eyes widened and Cassie stepped away from him slightly.

"Were you planning on **telling** us this?" Karone demanded, glaring at him.

"Of course I was," he defended himself. "I thought that's what you wanted me on the bridge for this morning, actually. I was going to tell you, but with Ashley gone..."

"You still should have told us," Karone insisted, but her anger was muted now.

"Andros, you don't think it's possible that Ashley left because of that?" Cassie asked him.

He shook his head. "No. She was there when I woke up last night and she was still there when I woke up again this morning. She kept telling me that I wasn't the one who had tried to hurt her and wouldn't listen to anything else I tried to say."

"Okay," Cassie said slowly. "I'll take your word for it--but as soon as we find Ashley, we're all going to have a long talk with you."

Andros couldn't say that was surprising. "Can we get back to looking for her, then?"

Cassie nodded. "I think that would be a good idea."

Andros closed his eyes. _Where are you, Ash? _He tensed suddenly, wondering if maybe... _"Ashley? Can you hear me?"_

**---**

"Andros?" Hearing his voice startled her, and she looked around for him. The Psychos didn't seem to notice, still arguing amongst themselves. No sooner had Lyra left than three of them had appeared, each feeling that they were entitled to her life force.

Naturally, Ashley disagreed, but they didn't seem to be much interested in her opinion. Gripping the wall with her hands, she slowly pulled herself to her feet. She was going to get out of here.

"Andros?" she called again, but there was no answer. Great, now she was hallucinating.

Ashley sighed, her eyes widening when she saw that the Psychos had left the cell door open behind them. "Hey," she shouted, loudly enough to catch their attention. "You're not going to kill me."

"Yes, we are," Psycho Yellow corrected her almost absentmindedly. "She's **my** ranger," she whined to the other two. "Get your own."

"We helped you capture her," Psycho Violet snapped back. "We're all entitled to her equally."

"We did most of the work," Psycho Pink agreed. "We should get her."

"I should get her."

"Stay out of this," Psycho Yellow growled at Psycho Violet. "You didn't do anything."

Ashley couldn't help rolling her eyes at them. "Do you think Lyra will be happy if you kill me? She wants to do that herself."

"We don't need her anymore," Psycho Pink informed her. "We don't care what she thinks."

That wasn't good to hear. Ashley swallowed hard, eyeing the door once again. If they didn't need her to deliver to Lyra, then she had to act fast. Taking a deep breath, she ran.

**---**

"I've got her!" Zhane shouted excitedly. "Come on, you guys, let's get down there."

Andros had his morpher open before he caught himself. "I can't," he said softly, clenching his fists in frustration. "You guys hurry up."

"Andros--"

"We'll explain on the way," Cassie told TJ. "Let's go."

Andros heaved a heavy sigh as the five other rangers left the bridge. This was worse than having no morpher at all, having to watch helplessly while they fought without him.

"Deca, main viewing screen," he ordered. He had to know what was happening.

Deca complied, and his heart almost stopped when he saw Ashley. She was running, staggering slightly. Her hands were cuffed in front of her but she was still morphed, and he took that as a good sign.

His heart started pounding when three streaks of light--pink, yellow, and violet--flashed by. The Psycho Rangers landed in front of her and Ashley fell back into what looked like a defensive stance as best she could. Andros almost smiled; she would never just surrender to them. Even if she died, she would die fighting.

He just hoped with all his heart that she wouldn't die. Ashley managed to dodge the first few shots the Psychos threw at her, but she couldn't evade them forever. Andros stopped breathing when she took a shot to the chest, forcing himself to relax when Ashley staggered back to her feet.

"Ash," he muttered. "Deca, teleport me down there." He didn't care that he couldn't morph. The others were nowhere in sight, and he couldn't stand just watching a moment longer. "Deca!"

The AI didn't respond. Andros glared briefly at Deca's eye, his eyes widening as he turned back to the viewing screen. He'd missed something important; Psycho Violet now held Ashley as a human shield and Psycho Yellow had collapsed to her knees. Psycho Pink must have been the one to attack, he figured, seeing her outstretched hand.

"Deca, you have to get me down there," he insisted. "I have to help her."

"You are not needed," Deca told him gently. "The other rangers have arrived."

He glanced at the screen again and saw that she was right. The rest of the team ran into view, Cassie and Zhane hurrying over to support Ashley while TJ cut the cuffs from her wrists. Andros relaxed slightly, knowing that she could defend herself now.

Psycho Pink and Psycho Violet vanished, abandoning the weakened Psycho Yellow. Andros did smile now as he watched the rangers line up and draw their weapons, Ashley in the lead. She was angry and it showed, but it wasn't hindering her.

It was working for her. Ashley leapt into the air with Carlos not far behind, the to of them teaming up to attack. Ashley fired while still in mid-air, Carlos slashing Psycho Yellow across the chest while she was still reeling from Ashley's shot.

TJ and Cassie were next, attacking from both sides while Ashley and Carlos turned to fire again. The blow from TJ's Astro Ax sent her stumbling sideways, directly into Cassie's line of fire. Psycho Yellow groaned, and Andros relaxed a little more.

Zhane and Karone went last, moving in from the front. Their moves mirrored each other right down to the moment Psycho Yellow flew backwards and landed sprawled across the grass.

Ashley drew her blaster and the other rangers did likewise, firing as one the moment Psycho Yellow was on her feet again. The smoke from the resulting explosion was all that he could see for the next minute but the moment he could see again, Andros was sure that Psycho Yellow was gone.

"We did it!" someone shouted from behind him, and Andros whirled around. "One down!"

That was certainly something to celebrate, but Andros wasn't paying much attention to Zhane's antics. Ashley demorphed, golden sparkles fading to reveal her slightly battered and bruised but otherwise uninjured. Weak with relief, Andros stepped forward and gathered her into his arms.

"Ash..." He couldn't think of anything else to say, but it didn't matter. He held her to him, the strength of her grip convincing him that she was all right.

"Don't worry," she insisted, hugging his neck a little harder. "I'm okay."


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** The Power Rangers are not mine.

**Chapter 16**

"Useless failures." Lyra kicked at Psycho Pink in frustration. "Can't anyone do anything right around here?"

"We were the ones that captured her," Psycho Pink retorted. "We're the ones that do all the work. We should have gotten her."

"You work for us," Cosmos snapped at her. "If we say to capture a ranger, then you capture a ranger--but you don't do as you'd like with the ranger."

"Shouldn't that be for us to decide?" Psycho Blue growled. "You need us, and there's more of us than there are of you."

"But we're stronger than you," Cosmos reminded them. "So you'll do as we say."

"Stronger than us?" Psycho Red stepped forward. "I don't think so."

Cosmos glanced at Lyra warily. She smirked slightly and nodded, drawing one hand back. He turned his head to the side and closed his eyes, the intense golden light still penetrating his closed eyelids.

"We created you," she said coldly to the fallen Psychos. "You're second to us when it comes to power, and you'll do well to remember that. Now, get up and get to work."

"I don't think so." Psycho Black struggled back to his feet. "We don't work for you anymore."

"Well, then," Lyra said slowly. There was only one thing to do now, but it seemed such a shame after the work they had put into this plan seemingly guaranteed to take down both Dark Spectre and the Power Rangers. "We have no further use for you."

**---**

"Look," Andros sighed. "I know I should have told you sooner, but we were all distracted. I know now that I can't fight it off, and I'm not stupid enough to try. Until I know what triggers this and how to fix it, I won't even think about morphing."

"Okay," Karone agreed. She sighed and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," Andros muttered, then shook his head. "I'll be fine."

"Hey, don't worry about any of this," Carlos spoke up before Karone could disagree. "You'll be back in no time."

Andros smiled faintly and shrugged. "Deca's been running tests for the last several hours. It'll probably be days before there's anything I can do about it."

"Lucky you," TJ teased him. "You can relax while we're out saving the world from total destruction."

"Thanks, you guys," Andros said quietly, their less than subtle efforts to cheer him up greatly appreciated even if they weren't greatly effective. "And really, I'll be fine."

"If you say so," Karone relented. "But if you even start to feel--"

"I'll go see Deca," he assured his sister. "Really, I will."

Karone shot him a suspicious look, but Carlos spoke up before she could say anymore. "I just want to ask one thing," he told Andros. "You don't have to answer."

"What is it?" Andros shifted around uneasily.

"Yesterday," Carlos said, "with Ash--did you know what you were doing?"

Andros glanced away. "Yeah," he muttered. "I did. I knew what I was doing, but I couldn't stop it..."

"You would have," Carlos surprised him by saying. "You wouldn't have hurt her."

Andros smiled thinly. "You don't know that."

"You don't know that you wouldn't have, either," Carlos retorted, and Andros decided to let the subject drop. This was the same person who not so long ago had told him that Ashley was "one of us," after all. He'd take what he could get.

"Thanks," he said softly. He would have said more, but the loud protests he heard down the hall distracted him.

"I'm fine," Ashley's voice was insisting. "They didn't touch me, and I don't need to stay in the med bay!"

Andros looked at them questioningly, and Carlos nodded. "She's fine."

He hid a smile. "She always is."

Ashley appeared in the doorway, glaring around the room until her eyes landed on him. "Andros," she whined, "tell them I'm fine!"

Andros rolled his eyes. "Deca?"

"She is unharmed," Deca confirmed, "but I believe she should be resting."

"I don't need--"

"Ash, you were captured by the Psycho Rangers," Cassie broke in as she entered the room. "Just lie down for awhile?"

"I'll walk you to your room," Andros offered before Ashley could protest again. "I want to talk to you."

"Fine," Ashley agreed reluctantly. She let him wrap an arm around her shoulders and lead her off of the bridge. If nothing else, she did love to have him close.

Andros didn't speak until they were nearly at her door, just walking with one arm holding her close to his side. When they rounded the final corner, he slowed his pace slightly, turning to look at her.

"I was worried about you," he told her softly.

"I know." Ashley's arms slid around him in a sideways hug. "You're sweet."

"I'm serious," he insisted. He stopped walking entirely in order to hug her back. "I was really worried about you."

"I know." Ashley turned her head to the side, resting her cheek on his shoulder. "You're sweet," she repeated, nuzzling his neck with her lips. "And I love you."

"I love you too," he murmured. He held onto her for a moment longer, smiling faintly when he released her. "Go get some rest."

"Is that an order?" she inquired mildly.

"Yes," Andros answered without thinking. "I mean, no," he corrected himself when Ashley arched an eyebrow at him, and sighed ruefully. "If it was an order, would you take it?"

"I asked first." Ashley's eyes sparkled at him challengingly. "Is that an order?"

Andros hesitated. "Yes," he decided, realizing he'd get himself into trouble no matter what he answered. "It's an order."

"I'm ignoring it," Ashley informed him cheerfully. "Unless, of course, I had some company," she added.

She smiled mischievously, and he had to laugh. "Well..."

"I'll take that as a yes," Ashley decided, and tugged on his arms until he followed her into her room.

He settled himself on her bed while she disappeared into the bathroom to change into something clean. A soft crunching sound across the room caught his attention and his eyes landed on Oddball a moment later, noisily enjoying his lunch. He watched the cat for a while longer, until Ashley appeared again.

Andros had his arms around her the moment she dropped down beside him on her bed. Ashley squirmed around just enough to face him, pressing a kiss to his lips. "Andros," she said softly. "Did you really want to talk?"

"We could talk if you wanted to." He shrugged. "I just wanted to be with you."

Ashley caught herself just before telling him again how sweet he was. Instead she just snuggled up to him and closed her eyes, letting him hold onto her as long as he wanted to. Or needed to. She'd tried to make light of his words a few moments before, but Ashley knew that Andros had been understating his feelings when he said that he had been worried.

"Hey, it's okay," she murmured into his neck. "I'm okay."

"Yeah," he said sheepishly, his arms around her loosening slightly. "Sorry. I just couldn't stop thinking about you this morning..."

"I couldn't stop thinking about you, either." Ashley giggled suddenly, though it really wasn't funny. "I thought I heard your voice a few times."

"You... what?" There was an odd note in his voice that made her look up at him.

"I thought I heard you," she repeated. "Why, what's wrong?"

_"Ashley..."_ She heard his voice loud and clear, though his lips hadn't moved.

"Okay," she said slowly. "How did you do that?"

"Telepathy," he explained, speaking aloud now. "I didn't know if you could hear me or not."

"Wait... I'm telepathic?"

He nodded slowly and she nuzzled close again, pillowing her head on his shoulder. "Cool."

"Cool?" He repeated, laughing. "That's all you have to say?"

"I've gotten used to strange things." She grinned up at him. "Can you teach me?"

"Of course I will. But later," he told her. "You'll exhaust yourself quickly when you're just learning to control it, and you're already tired enough right now."

"I'm not--"

"You are," Andros interrupted, kissing her cheek. "Even if you don't think so, you're tired. It can be dangerous to strain yourself too much when you're learning to control your telepathy."

"You sure know how to take the fun out of everything," she complained good-naturedly. "Are you sure it's worth it?"

"Sorry." Andros shrugged at her, smiling. "And yes, it's worth it."

"I was kidding, you know."

"Oh." Andros paused, then added quickly, "I knew that."

Ashley burst out in giggles. "You are so cute sometimes," she said through her laughter. "You have no idea."

Andros glared at her indignantly, though he was smiling. Ashley giggled again, and he glanced down just in time to see Oddball hop up onto Ashley's lap.

"You're cute too," she informed the kitten. Oddball purred and licked her hand, and Ashley rolled her eyes. "I'll play with you in a minute. Go eat some more."

Oddball didn't, and Andros jumped as the kitten hopped over into his lap. "He has sharp claws," he complained, wincing as Oddball kneaded into the skin just above his knee. "That hurts."

"Take him off of your lap, then." Ashley laughed at him, but her voice was serious when she spoke. "Andros? Has Deca found out any way to reverse the Power again?"

"No," he said quietly, not taking his eyes off of Oddball. "She hasn't."

"She will," Ashley assured him, sliding an arm around his shoulders. "You know it'll be okay."

"Yeah," he said, his voice no louder than before. "I know."

"Cosmos and Lyra have appeared in Angel Grove," Deca broke in, and both their head snapped up in alarm. "They are both in civilian form."

"That... is not good," Ashley muttered, scrambling to her feet. "We're on our way."

**---**

Andros had refused to stay behind this time, and no one had even attempted to talk him out accompanying them. They weren't headed into battle after all, not unless they were provoked into it. Which was likely, but catching up to Cosmos and Lyra and figuring out what they were up to wasn't guaranteed to end in a fight.

They weren't difficult to find. It took them all of ten minutes to catch up to them, and that was only because the discreet location that the rangers teleported down to was halfway across town.

The two of them were seated at a park bench when the rangers burst into sight, almost lounging. Cosmos caught sight of them first, glancing up when the rangers emerged from behind the trees.

Lyra turned around when Cosmos tapped her on the shoulder, a smirk spreading across her face. "So nice to see you again, rangers."

"Enough of that," Andros snapped, pushing his way to the front of the group. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, there's plenty to choose from," Lyra said airily. "Movies, shopping, picnics, take your pick."

"We didn't come here to fight with you," Cosmos added.

"You expect us to believe you're just here on a date?" TJ demanded.

"You can if you want to--"

"We came here to talk to you," Cosmos informed them, and Lyra finally grew serious.

"Yes," she agreed, her eyes almost troubled. "We have a proposition for you."


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** The Power Rangers are not my creation.

**Chapter 17**

"You what?" Andros stared blankly at Lyra, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What **kind** of proposition?"

"We made a miscalculation," she admitted. "It seems that it will have serious repercussions."

"What did you do?" Karone demanded impatiently. "We don't have time for games, Lyra."

"Then it's a good thing this isn't a game," Lyra returned calmly, then sighed. "The Psycho Rangers are on a rampage."

"Wait." Zhane spoke up from somewhere behind them. "You mean they weren't **already** on a rampage?"

"They did what we told them to," Cosmos said. "Until Psycho Yellow was destroyed, that is."

"So in other words, you can't control them, either," Andros supplied. He sighed. That really was something he hadn't wanted to hear. Cosmos and Lyra at least were logical about their attacks, while he suspected the Psychos would strike at random.

"Something like that, yes. They've taken over the Dark Fortress."

That **really** was something that he hadn't wanted to hear. A warship in the hands of six crazed, super-powered robots was not a threat Andros looked forward to dealing with. Assuming that they were telling him the truth, of course.

"What happened?"

"I tried to destroy them," Lyra said. "They objected. Quite strongly."

"You tried to destroy them," Cassie repeated. She looked as skeptical as the rest of them. "And--why would you want to do that?"

"They rebelled." Lyra shrugged. "They're only worth keeping around so long as they do what we want them to do."

Andros could see her point in that. But he still didn't believe half of what she'd just said. "And what was it that you wanted from us?"

"We have a proposition for you," Cosmos repeated. "Neither of us wants the Dark Fortress in the controls of the Psychos--"

"How stupid do you think we are?" Andros interrupted before Cosmos could finish. "We've already beat one Psycho Ranger on our own. We can do the same with the rest of them if we have to and whatever it is that you want, you're not going to get it."

"Very stupid, if you're wondering," Lyra said dryly. "But let's hear it--what'll it take to convince you that this isn't a trick?"

"You know," Carlos remarked, "you'd have better luck with this if you hadn't kidnapped one of us this **morning.**"

"It wasn't really something that we planned. She was just there and we took the opportunity."

"Yeah, and that makes it so much better," Ashley muttered. "Let's go, you guys. We're wasting our time here."

"I'm with you, Ash," Cassie agreed.

"So am I." TJ glared at Lyra suspiciously. "Whatever you're planning, we're not falling for it."

Lyra had her mouth open when their communicators beeped. Andros exchanged wary glances with TJ before lifting his wrist up closer to his mouth.

"What is it, Deca?"

"The Psycho Rangers have appeared downtown."

"We'll be there," TJ answered for him. "Let's go."

"Go on," Andros urged when several pair of eyes landed on him. "I'll be on the Megaship."

He realized that was the wrong thing to say when Lyra's expression brightened. To his surprise, she didn't taunt him, merely smiling to herself. Andros didn't wait to find out what exactly she found so amusing, and teleported out as the other rangers headed off to battle.

**---**

"Well, well," Psycho Red sneered. "Look who's decided to show up. But where's the red ranger?"

"We don't need him," TJ declared boldly. "We'll do just fine as we are."

"Let's find out, shall we?" Psycho Blue stepped forward then, hefting his ax.

"You guys ready?" TJ glanced over his shoulder, met by five answering nods.

"Ready!"

They did need Andros, as it soon became painfully clear. The two sides were evenly numbered but losing Psycho Yellow didn't have any visible effects on her teammates. Being freed of Cosmos and Lyra's control, on the other hand... They were holding back no longer, and the rangers were being pummeled.

Psycho Blue landed a good shot on TJ, and the blue ranger stumbled back at the force of the blow. He nearly tripped over Carlos, who staggered away from Psycho Black while clutching his side.

The other rangers were in the same condition. Cassie and Karone were limping, Zhane was on the ground. Only Ashley seemed to be having the barest amount of luck fighting Psycho Red, and even that was questionable. She was at least on her feet and landing maybe every third shot.

And that's when it clicked for Zhane. His eyes widening, he slashed upwards with his Silverizer and rolled out of the way before he lost his head. "Cass," he gasped out, taking a few stumbling steps towards the pink ranger. "Switch with me."

He was sure she was staring at him like he was crazy, but she didn't protest and did what he asked. Acting on his hunch, Zhane attacked Psycho Pink with all the strength he had in him, surprising himself when she didn't seem to know how to fight him.

"Hey!" Cassie sounded breathless, but he knew that she saw it now, too. "You guys... Switch!"

It took a moment, maybe for the words to register or maybe for the rangers to decide that it was worth the energy it took to move, but then they'd rearranged themselves and the tide seemed to be turning. Karone sent Psycho Blue stumbling with one blow of her staff, and Carlos was repeatedly attacking Psycho Red. Zhane thought that they just might win this battle after all.

Then he heard a scream that made his blood run cold. The cries of the other rangers added to it by the time he'd turned around, but by then he already knew what he was going to see. Psycho Violet had broken away from TJ and now stood over Karone, who lay crumpled on the ground.

Zhane knew that she was still alive--he doubted that he'd still be conscious if she wasn't. That didn't necessarily make him feel any better, though, and as he pushed his way to her side he was only dimly aware of the Psychos vanishing.

She was still morphed, and he breathed a little easier at that. Slowly, he ran a hand over her neck, exhaling in relief to find her pulse strong. Only out cold, then. Maybe an injury or two but she'd be just fine.

"Rone," he muttered. _"C'mon, wake up. I know you can hear me..."_

TJ's hand on his shoulder startled him. "We've got to get her back to the Megaship."

Zhane nodded his head slowly. "Yeah." He hefted Karone into his arms and TJ helped him up. "You're right."

**---**

Andros waited just long enough for Deca to assure him that his sister wasn't dying before storming out of the infirmary. He headed straight for the bridge and picked up his morpher, carefully securing it into place.

"Deca, you don't know where I've gone," he said curtly. "Understood?"

"Andros." He froze at Ashley's voice and turned slowly, his anger nearly bubbling over as he saw that she was on crutches. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I--I... she's my sister, Ash," he whispered. "The only family I have left."

"I know that," she said gently. "But Andros, she'll be fine in a day or two. She's already laughing at Zhane's bad jokes."

Ashley looked at him hopefully, but he didn't smile. "She was still hurt," he insisted. "You've got a sprained ankle. Carlos has a dislocated shoulder. I can't just stay here and do nothing."

"I'm not saying that you should do nothing," Ashley said, calmly holding his gaze. "But why do you have your morpher?"

"I... trust me," he pleaded, not quite able to look at her. "Please."

"I'm not going to stop you," she said quietly. "Just... be careful," she pleaded. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

He'd said that to her once. Andros couldn't recall when or where, but he knew that he had. This time, he managed a slight smile for her before taking off in the opposite direction. "Deca, get me back down to the park."

Some part of him was surprised that she was actually still there. She'd hardly even moved, still sitting at that picnic bench with her arms folded across her chest. The wind toyed with her hair and Andros frowned, against his will transported back to KO-35 in the last days before Kadri--and Kale, he knew now--had betrayed them all.

She'd asked him to meet her at sunset on one of the balconies of the Ranger Dome. When he'd arrived, she'd looked just as she did now: arms crossed, back to him, wind blowing her hair out in front of her face.

Andros couldn't remember now what she'd wanted to see him for or what they'd talked about but he knew that he'd laughed and kissed her, and that in those few moments he'd felt happier than he'd ever thought was possible. The way he did with Ashley now, but pushed the thought from his mind.

He didn't feel safe any longer in approaching her. He wasn't frightened, but there was a cold ball of dread in his stomach as he realized that he'd probably just walked straight into her trap. There had to be a reason she was still here, after all.

"I knew you'd come." She spoke and he jumped, his shoulders tensing.

Andros swallowed. "I need to talk to you."

"Do you?"

"You saved me," he said softly. "I want to know why."

"So do a lot people more important than you," she told him. "Get in line and if I figure it out, maybe I'll let you know. If you ask nicely."

He didn't answer, and Lyra quickly grew impatient. "What are you doing here, Andros?"

He wasn't sure himself. "You did something to the Power. I want to know how to fix it."

"Even if I told you, why would you believe me?"

Andros shrugged, though he knew she couldn't see him. "I wouldn't," he admitted.

"Why are you here, then?" She sounded amused now, and he curled his hands into fists as he tried to repress his anger.

"I don't know."

"Because you have nowhere else to go," she corrected him, and sighed. "Let me see it."

"What?" He looked at her, startled but unable to tell what she was trying to do.

"Your morpher," she repeated patiently. "Give it to me."

Andros was reaching for the strap before he caught himself. He might have been desperate, but he wasn't stupid. Well... not that stupid. "No."

"Have it your way, then." Lyra shrugged. "But don't say I didn't try to help you."

"And why would you do that?" he challenged. "You didn't have a problem with killing your own teammates. Or my parents. Or half of KO-35."

"Killing the team was a necessity," she informed him coolly. "As were your parents--they were part of the resistance movement. I'd have killed you too if your brother hadn't wanted you to live... and I did just love the look on your face when you woke up that day."

Andros bit down hard on his lip. He was **not** going to respond to that. Lyra laughed softly and his fists clenched a little tighter.

"You wanted to know why I saved you," she said abruptly. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes," he answered tersely. "I do."

"Didn't I tell you to ask nicely?" Lyra laughed to herself but continued without pause. "I have plans for you, Andros. You and Ashley."

Andros shivered involuntarily at her tone. Her voice was perfectly casual, and it made her words all the more frightening. He took a slow step backwards.

"She's going to die," Lyra said, still calmly. "And maybe you'll kill her, if it's what we want you to do. But not yet."

He didn't stick around to hear anymore. Her words ringing loudly in his mind, Andros teleported himself back to the Megaship, annoyed to find his hands trembling. If he let her get to him that easily, how did he expect to be able to fight her?

He pushed the last fifteen minutes firmly out of his mind and went to check on Karone. She was asleep now with Zhane by her side. His eyes were closed as well and so Andros left the med bay as silently as he'd entered it.

It took him all of ten seconds to give in and head towards Ashley's room. She was sitting up in bed, several pillows propping up her left ankle. Her head turned towards the door when he stepped into her room, her eyes lighting up in relief when she saw that it was him.

"Hey," she greeted him, smiling. He moved over to her bed and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he muttered, hugging her carefully. "I'm fine." And so long as she was around, he'd stay that way.

**A/N:** I've suddenly become inspired to write like crazy... so look for chapter 18 soon. Maybe Thursday. And also, I've put up another story if you're interested. Review?


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 18**

The first thing that Ashley was aware of as she opened her eyes was that she wasn't alone. A slow smile spread across her face when she saw Andros still asleep beside her, one arm draped over her chest as he hugged her close.

Since late afternoon the day before, he'd hardly left her side. It had taken her awhile to coax him into repeating the conversation that he'd had with Lyra, and then she had understood. It was sweet, really, and he hadn't been there to distract her. He'd helped her with her homework, even.

Her smile widened as she rolled over carefully onto her side. Her ankle twinged, and Andros's arm hugged her closer. Ashley snuggled up to him more comfortably, reaching out to trace his face with her fingertips. She had been the one to insist that he sleep in her bed that night and now that he had, she knew why she had crawled into bed with him the night he'd almost killed her. She was safe with him. Andros would protect her from anything, even himself.

It made no sense even to her, and she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. But it was nice to feel safe, she decided, placing a kiss on his chin. And he kept her warm. She liked the way his body felt, too. Plus, he was cute when he was asleep. Ashley sighed ruefully to herself. She'd fallen way too hard.

Her fingers brushed against his eyelashes and she felt him stir a bit. She paused a bit guiltily, but in the end didn't stop, the path of her fingers tracing his eyebrows inward, down his nose to his lips.

"Morning, sleepy," she murmured in his ear, and felt him kiss her fingers. "Sleep well?"

He hadn't; she'd heard him mumbling constantly in his sleep. She'd caught her name a few times, and she thought he'd been calling for his old teammates as well. Ashley knew she'd heard Zeah's name more than once, and he'd been wanting his parents, too. He hadn't woken up, and she hoped that whatever it was that he'd seen in his sleep was long forgotten by now. It hadn't been easy to fall back asleep herself when she'd realized that she was the only one of the people he'd called for that was still living.

"Yeah," he yawned. Ashley couldn't help giggling as he rubbed sleep out of his eyes, and he looked at her sheepishly. "Sorry."

"For?" she prompted, reaching out to smooth stray hairs against his shoulder.

"I didn't mean to..." he said, glancing away from her. "I didn't bother you too much yesterday, did I?"

"Of course not, silly," she assured him quickly. Ashley laid her head back down on his shoulder, adding, "I'm glad you're here."

"So am I," he admitted. He touched her hair and Ashley smiled, tucking her head against his shoulder. "I love you, Ash."

"I know you do," she told him, squeezing him hard. "And I love you too."

He relaxed, his arms around her loosening just a little. "I know you do," he echoed her, then surprised her by nuzzling her ear with his lips. Ashley jumped and then giggled, not protesting when he tugged her face towards his.

His lips were gentle against hers, even when he slid one hand to rest against the back of her head was he was being tentative. Ashley pushed him back slightly, staring up at him with inquisitive eyes.

"What's wrong?" she demanded, sliding her fingers through his hair. "Something's bothering you."

"I don't want to hurt you," he murmured against her lips, stealing another kiss. "Your ankle's still swollen."

Ashley sighed in fond exasperation, sliding both arms around his neck and kissing him hard. "I won't move it, then."

Andros considered that for a few moments, then decided that was solid enough reasoning. Ashley giggled against his lips when he returned the kiss, her laughter quickly dying when he nipped at her bottom lip.

He pressed closer, his free arm snaking around her waist. Ashley held him closer, her hands running through his hair. Andros groaned. His tongue slid teasingly around the inside of her mouth while his hands wandered across her back, tracing her shoulder blades.

Ashley shuddered, small tremors running through her stomach. He really was too good at that. She couldn't think when he kissed her like that, she couldn't do anything but let her insides go weak every time he kissed her.

Her fingers tightened in his hair and Andros kissed her harder, gently urging her over onto her back. She rolled over and he moved to cover her, still kissing. She shifted against him and her ankle twinged painfully. Ashley yelped before she could help it and Andros jerked back, mumbling an apology.

"Ash, I--"

"I know," she said before he could get too far. "I'm fine and it wasn't really your fault if you think about it."

"If **you** think about it, maybe," he retorted, but she saw a smile tug at his lips. "Do you want some ice?"

"Andros, I'm fine," she assured him, tugging hard on his arm until he fell back down beside her. "Don't worry about it."

He nodded his head slowly, leaning forward to kiss her cheek lightly. "Ash... did we--did we just..."

"You know," she remarked when Andros didn't finish, "we never did talk."

"I guess we didn't." Andros sounded a little odd, and when she glanced over at him, Ashley was startled to find him blushing.

"Want me to start?" she offered, taking pity on him.

He nodded, carefully avoiding her eyes. "Please."

"Okay." She sighed a little, then shrugged. She might as well ask now instead of later. "Do you want us to sleep together?"

"Ash..." Andros shot her a pleading glance that she ignored. "I--I'm not... asking anything of you--"

"I know you're not," she promised him quickly. "But you're not answering my question."

"I... yes," he mumbled, turning his face until it was half-hidden by the pillow.

"Good," she said brightly, hoping that she didn't look half as nervous as she felt. "We both want the same thing, then."

Andros looked at her carefully. "We--we do?"

Ashley couldn't help giggling slightly at his wide-eyed expression. "Don't tell me you're surprised."

He considered that for a few moments. "Okay."

"You... argh!" She shoved his shoulder lightly, then paused. "You really had no idea?"

He shook his head slowly. "Not really." Andros suddenly looked worried. "Should I have?"

"No..." Ashley frowned slightly. "Why would you think that?"

"Because you're not Karovan?" He sounded uncertain, his words more a question than an answer. "I--I don't really know what... I mean..."

"Andros?" she prompted gently. "Just say it."

"On KO-35, all that mattered was that you were in love," he said quietly. "Because having sex with someone that you didn't love would still bond you to them and it's hard to make that just go away."

"I like that," Ashley murmured, smiling at him. "It sounds so... pure."

"It was for some people," he agreed. "Zhane and Karone. My parents. They knew who they were meant to be with almost from the start."

He sounded just the tiniest bit resentful and Ashley couldn't help asking, "And you?"

"I thought I knew," he said, his eyes somewhere else again. "I was wrong."

"Who are you thinking about?" she asked softly.

"Kadri," he muttered, and sighed. "After she--" It took him a minute to say the words calmly. "After she killed them, I kept thinking that I should have seen it coming somehow. That if I hadn't loved her so much I could have seen through her."

"You know that wasn't your fault," she insisted, relieved when he nodded. "There's nothing that you could have done."

"I know that now," he assured her, forcing a smile. "But it doesn't matter anymore... The point was that not everyone has someone they're meant to be with."

"Didn't I tell you to be more optimistic?" she inquired mildly, and reached for his hand. "And I still like it. Earth isn't so different," she added. "Some people wait until they're married, other people don't, but for most people, I think it makes a difference that you're in love."

"I love you," Andros said immediately, and she would have giggled if he hadn't looked so serious.

"Love you too," she answered lazily, leaning back against his chest when he drew her into his arms. "And weren't you going to teach me to be telepathic?"

"You already are," he explained, letting her change the subject. "Or else you wouldn't have been able to hear me."

"Close enough." Ashley rolled her eyes at him, though she made a point of smiling. "How does it work, then?"

"Relax," he instructed, hugging her a little closer. "Close your eyes and just listen... Tell me when you hear me."

"Okay," she murmured, and he felt tension melting away from her body.

He waited a moment, then quietly called, _"Ash?"_

"I hear you," Ashley said no louder than before. "Now what?"

"Think at me." It was a lousy explanation, but he couldn't do a better job than that. "Just think at me, and expect that I'll hear you."

So she did and he thought he might have heard her, but he couldn't be entirely sure that it wasn't just wishful thinking. She refused to quit trying, though, and finally he heard his name clearly, and the voice was definitely hers.

_"Andros,"_ she said, her mental voice uncertain and unsteady but there. "Whoa," she said aloud, glancing up at him. "That felt... really weird."

"You get used to it," he assured her, understanding exactly what she meant. "I can't believe you can do it."

"Me either." She paused, laughing. "I like it."

There was only one way he could think to answer that, and that was to laugh and then kiss her. He pulled her close, his lips touching hers briefly. Then the monster alert went off.

**A/N:** The next chapter will be longer, I just couldn't wait any longer to write this scene. I hope you liked it anyway. Please review. :)


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 19**

"You're not going anywhere," Andros said firmly. "You're still injured and you are **not** going to fight."

"Andros, you and Ashley already make two rangers down," Karone argued. "There's still six Psychos and if I stay here too, we don't stand a chance."

"I don't care," Zhane and Andros retorted together.

"It's not like we were doing so great yesterday with six against six," Carlos added. "We won't lose just because you're here."

Karone growled and muttered something under her breath. She shot a healthy glare in Zhane's direction before sliding into her seat, arms crossed against her chest.

"Good luck, you guys," Ashley said softly. She turned her seat to face the viewing screen, glancing over at Andros when he sat next to her. "I hate this."

"So do I," he sighed, toying with his morpher absently. "Deca, main viewing screen."

Deca complied wordlessly, showing them a deserted street in downtown Angel Grove. The Psycho Rangers were waiting, prowling up and down while they waited. Four streaks of color flashed by and then TJ leaped down from his glider, the other three on his heels.

"There's only five," Karone said suddenly, moving into the seat on Andros's left. "There should be one more."

"Psycho Black," Ashley muttered, quickly scanning the Psycho Rangers. "What's he up to?"

"We wait to find out," Andros said tersely, his fingers flying across the console. "Deca, shields up. Scan the area around the others. See if he's hiding down there somewhere."

"Acknowledged," Deca replied, and Andros sat back.

"Am I seeing things, or do they seem to be doing okay?" Ashley pointed at the screen in front of them, where the rangers all were still on their feet. They even seemed to be landing in a few blows every now and then.

"No," Andros said slowly, his eyes narrowing. "You're right."

"I'm going to help them." Karone stood up, cutting off their protests before they were fully formed. "Look, I'm fine. They're so close to winning right now, they need me. Don't worry about me."

"Karone--" Andros stopped abruptly as he realized she was gone. He sighed and slumped back into his seat, glaring down at his morpher.

Ashley reached out, touching his shoulder gently. "You know she's right," she said quietly. "She'll be fine."

He shot her an empty smile. "I--"

He was cut off as the Megaship shuddered violently. Both Andros and Ashley were thrown up against their consoles as Deca reported belatedly, "We are under attack."

**---**

"I told you that wouldn't work," Cosmos said abruptly, breaking the long silence between them. "Yesterday, with the rangers."

"It was worth a try." Lyra shrugged her shoulders, never taking her eyes off of the trees directly in front of her. "Same with Andros later. I half expected him to take me up on that, though," she admitted, a sly smile on her lips. "It wouldn't have surprised me if he'd been that stupid."

Cosmos laughed, though it really wasn't funny. "We don't really have plans for them."

"They don't need to know that." Lyra curled her fingers experimentally, pleased to find herself cradling a small ball of lightning. Good; she'd rested enough. "We'll worry about that later--my magic's back."

Cosmos brightened. "Then let's go."

**---**

Zhane hit the ground and rolled cleanly out of the way, hopping to his feet just as Psycho Red flew at him another time. Somehow, they had managed to switch places on each other again and no matter how hard they tried, the Psychos weren't switching them back.

He sensed her at his side before he had the chance to attack again. Karone brandished her staff at Psycho Red, dealing him a solid blow before he had the chance to attack.

"I told you," she said smugly. "I'm fine."

"Okay," he agreed, ducking as Psycho Blue rushed for him. "You are."

"Now that you've got that settled," TJ called over at them, "a little help here?"

"Well since you asked..." Karone glanced over at them, surprised to see most of their attacks landing on Psychos Pink and Silver. "What's wrong with them today?"

"Exactly what we've been wondering," Carlos grunted, as he slashed Psycho Pink across the chest. "But we're not complaining."

Karone laughed a little and then joined Cassie in kicking Psycho Pink back several feet. "Neither am I."

"C'mon guys," Cassie shouted, ducking as Psycho Blue swung his ax at her. "Everyone together."

"Right," they agreed, and five Astroblasters fired at once. Most hit Psycho Pink, a few clipped Psycho Violet, but it weakened them all just enough that the rangers could attack.

Karone put the full force of her weight into the next swing of her staff. TJ did the same with his ax, both of them catching Psycho Pink hard while Zhane and Carlos attacked from the air. Cassie went for the kill, firing her Satellite Stunner point-blank.

The rangers fell back then, bracing themselves against the explosion.

**---**

No matter how he set his feet, he couldn't seem to keep his balance. Andros gripped the controls, struggling to keep the Megaship steady as she trembled under the strain of the barrage of laser fire.

Ashley was still in her seat, firing the Megalasers over and over again without much success. The Dark Fortress had caught them by surprise, blasting through their shields while the two of them had struggled to do the work of at least five people on their own.

"How are we doing?" Andros dared ask, hoping he wouldn't distract her too much.

"Well, our shields are holding steady around fifty percent," Ashley replied after a moment. "So it could be worse... but the Megalasers are running out of energy."

"What?" Andros's head snapped up. "That's not supposed to happen."

"Aren't you supposed to recharge them or something?"

"I did... I think," he amended, frowning. He couldn't remember when he last had. "I didn't, did I."

"Don't worry about that now," she said, shooting him a reassuring glance. "It's okay."

Andros doubted that it was but he really couldn't worry about it now. He jerked the controls, bringing the Megaship about in a sharp turn. He felt the floor tremble beneath his feet and swallowed, the laser fire coming much too close for comfort.

It was with an effort that he managed to hold the ship steady enough for Ashley to fire again. They managed to hit the Dark Fortress this time--but the lasers had lost enough power that at this point it made little difference.

Andros couldn't keep his balance this time; the Megaship bucked and tossed him forward over the back row of consoles. He rolled over onto his back with a groan, hacking air back into his lungs while Ashley fired one last shot.

"We've got to get out of here," she said urgently, sliding down to help him sit up. "Come on, I'll help you up."

"No." He shook off her arm and sat up himself. "I'm not leaving."

"Yes, you are." Ashley struggled to her feet and somehow managed to haul him up with her. "Andros--"

"Ash, I'm not leaving," he said quietly. "There has to be something--"

"There's nothing you can do." Ashley took a shaky step towards him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Another minute and it'll all shut down. Come **on.**"

"But--" The word slipped out before he could help himself. Andros knew she was right even before the warning lights lit up. But he couldn't lose another home.

"Come on," Ashley said again, more softly this time. "We can make it to the shuttle."

He swallowed hard and stood up to follow her--and all fire ceased. Andros stopped abruptly, forcing Ashley, who was leaning against him for support, to halt as well.

"Deca?"

"There is an incoming transmission from the Dark Fortress," she reported, and Andros froze.

"Play it," he ordered, pleased at how steady his voice was.

"Hello, little brother," Cosmos's voice greeted him. "I just thought you'd be interested in knowing that we had nothing to do with that."

"What do you want?" Andros demanded, glaring furiously at the screen. "I don't care what it is, you can't have it."

"You don't listen, do you?" Cosmos sighed loudly. "We had nothing to do with that."

Andros unclenched his jaw slightly. "Then what do you want?"

"Are you this dumb on purpose?" Lyra sauntered into view, arms crossed over her chest. "We thought we'd call to let you know Psycho Black's gone."

"You did it yourself?" Ashley sounded just as suspicious as Andros felt. "Why?"

"You are," Lyra decided, then shrugged. "I answered that yesterday. I don't feel like doing it again."

"We'll fight you on our own terms, little brother," Cosmos told him, and then the screen went black.

"Wow," Ashley murmured into the silence. "That was... do you have any idea what their own terms are?"

Andros just shook his head. He didn't want to find out.

* * *

**A/N:** Just another five, six chapters to go! I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible. Please review! 


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 20**

"I don't like it," Karone said flatly. "You know they're baiting you."

"Yeah." Andros wouldn't quite meet her eyes. "I know."

"But you're planning on going down to meet them when they call for you."

"Yes," he answered evenly. "It's what I have to do."

"It's what you have to..." Karone's words ended in a growl of frustration. "Do you remember that conversation we had after Ashley rescued you from the Dark Fortress? That time when you promised no more sneaking off on your own?"

He didn't, actually, but she didn't need to know that. "I'm not going to just walk straight into their trap, whatever it is."

Karone raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "You have a plan?"

"You could say that."

"Let's hear this plan of yours," TJ broke in. He set down the panel he was welding back together and straightened up, arms folded across his chest. "Well?"

"We set our own trap," Andros said.

Karone stared at him dubiously. "You really think they won't expect that?"

Her brother smiled faintly. "Lyra doesn't seem to think I'm capable of too much."

"But we're not dealing with just Lyra," Karone objected. "And I wouldn't be surprised if that was all an act."

"I would." Andros sighed. "Look, I know Lyra better than any of you. I think she's underestimating us."

"And what about Cosmos?" TJ pressed. "I don't think he'll fall for the same tricks as Lyra. Assuming that you can fool her in the first place."

"I... I don't know about him," Andros admitted. He glanced towards his sister. "What do you think?"

"He managed to fool everyone for two years," Karone said, frowning in thought. "I... I think we need to be careful of him."

"So what exactly **is** this plan of yours?" TJ demanded.

Andros shrugged. "I'll go down alone--"

"You will not," TJ and Karone snapped together.

He regarded them in amusement. "I wasn't finished. I'll go down alone. The rest of you follow me, and--"

"No." Karone shook her head. "No, I'm going with you."

"Karone--"

"He's my brother too," she told him quietly. "I have just as much right to be there as you do."

"I--Fine." Andros nodded unhappily. He didn't like this turn of events at all, but Karone was right. As much as he hated the idea, he didn't have the heart to talk her out of it. "You're right."

"I'm not going to lose you too," Karone said sharply. "You're the only family I've got left."

"I know," he said quietly. "But I don't want to lose you, either."

"You're not going to," she promised. "We fight together, remember?"

"I do." Andros smiled a little, and sighed. "I'll be okay."

"You'd better be," someone else said fondly, and he glanced up to see Ashley limp into the room. "We've finished the engine room repairs, by the way."

"You're still hurt, Ash," he said with a frown. "You shouldn't be--"

"I wasn't." She sank into the nearest chair. "They won't let me do anything, either."

"Good." He laughed when she stuck her tongue out at him. "We've just been making some plans."

"Or not making them," Karone put in. She smirked at him from where she stood behind Ashley. "Ash, tell him he's not going to fight them on his own."

"You're not going to fight them on your own," Ashley repeated obediently, then added, "And if you even think about it--"

"I never said that I was," he protested.

"You implied it," Karone retorted. "And you know you don't stand a chance against them."

"Nice to know you have some faith in me," Andros grumbled, and she just laughed at him.

"Anytime, big brother."

TJ and Ashley laughed at them both. "Now **that's** almost how siblings are supposed to act," TJ said smugly. "We were starting to think you weren't really related."

Karone stared at him, amused. "This is nothing. You have no idea what a stubborn pain in the ass Andros can be... Well, maybe you do," she added to Ashley, who tried very hard, and didn't quite manage, not to giggle.

"Seriously? We've never really had any trouble getting along." Karone shrugged. "I guess we're lucky."

"Or weird," Ashley teased.

"You're not helping," Andros complained. "I--"

"The Psycho Rangers are attacking Angel Grove."

"Again?" TJ whined. "Didn't we just beat them an hour ago?"

"Your last battle was twelve hours, twenty-seven minutes, and--"

"Okay, we get it," he silenced Deca. "Let's go, guys. Ash, you're still injured."

Ashley sat back down with a sigh. "But only this time."

"Until Deca says you're allowed to fight again," Andros corrected her. He glanced over at TJ and Karone. "Get going. We'll monitor the situation from here."

TJ and Karone vanished in a stream of their respective colors. Andros watched them go and then started pacing, ignoring both the battle onscreen and the looks Ashley was giving him. He hated this.

"Hey, you know they'll be okay," Ashley told him finally. "You're going to wear a hole in the deck if you keep that up."

Andros paused, looked at her, and then dropped down into the pilot's seat. "It's not that."

"Oh." Ashley sighed, and he heard her feet tapping quietly against the floor as she came up behind him. "Andros..."

"I'm sick of this," he muttered, as she slid her arms around him. "I should be down there, Ash."

"I know." She rubbed his shoulder soothingly, hugging him close as she leaned over the back of his seat. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks, I think." He tried to smile when her lips brushed against his cheek, but he couldn't quite manage it. "I hate sitting up here, Ash. I spent two years watching Zhane and Karone do all the work while I sat up here. I have the morpher back now--I should be able to fight this off."

"It doesn't work like that," she said softly in his ear. "You're as strong as you need to be."

"But--"

"No buts," Ashley said firmly. "And I don't care what Lyra said to you."

This time he did smile. "Thanks," he said again, squeezing her fingers. "I love you," he added, squirming slightly in his seat when she kissed his ear.

"Love you," she murmured, hugging him a little harder. "Everything will be okay."

He didn't have the chance to reply. Psycho Blue and Psycho Silver were suddenly the size of two skyscrapers, and Andros snapped back into action instantly.

"I'm not just sitting around for this," he told her, and leaned across the console to launch the Mega Winger.

"Neither am I," she said, and straightened up. "Deca, Astro Megazord transformation."

They slid into their seats in the cockpit just as TJ, Cassie, and Carlos teleported in. The Mega Winger landed on its feet beside them with a loud thud, and Andros tried not to laugh. Zhane would have done that on purpose.

_"And so what if I did?"_ he heard in his mind. _"Do you have any idea what a pain in the ass these Psychos have been?"_

_"Don't do anything stupid."_

_"I'll leave that to you,"_ Zhane replied cheerfully, and brought the Mega Winger up into a double flip to dodge Psycho Silver's attack.

"Andros, look out," Cassie shouted suddenly, and he just barely kept them out of harms way.

"Sorry," he murmured sheepishly. "Everybody all right?"

"We're fine," Ashley assured him. "It's okay."

It wasn't; he should have been paying better attention. Andros sighed silently and frowned to himself, wondering if he was just distracted or if he was forgetting how to be a ranger. He really hoped it was the first.

Psycho Blue charged at them again, and this time Andros was ready. He swung the saber around in front of them, slashing the Psycho Ranger across the chest.

The zord didn't react quickly enough when he pulled back, and they stumbled. Andros couldn't keep the Astro Megazord from kneeling over, though he did manage to hold them upright. It wasn't enough.

Psycho Blue hit them hard as Andros pulled them back up, and this time he couldn't keep them from going down. The saber clattered down to one of the empty streets with a clang muffled by the crash the zord made when they landed hard.

Cement scraped against the armor as they slid for several blocks, slowing due to natural causes rather than anything Andros did. He couldn't get the controls to respond as quickly as they should be, and it was costing them far too much.

Psycho Blue kicked them back down when they struggled to stand up. Andros groaned as the zord shuddered; unmorphed he was also unprotected from the shock of impact. His head pounded as each blow reverberated around him and he grit his teeth, sweaty palms slipping as he fought against the zord for control.

It wasn't enough. Each time they were nearly on their feet, it was only to be tossed down again. Psycho Silver had wandered over to them and joined in, the two Psychos holding the Megazord between them and slowly tearing them apart.

_"Andros."_ Zhane's voice was soft, and very urgent. _"Get down and stay down. Trust me."_

He didn't like the sound of that. At all, but there was no time to question it. Another few moments and the Astro Megazord would be in pieces. When the Psychos pushed them forward again, Andros threw the controls forward as well, breaking loose of the Psychos' grip.

They landed on their side, their auxiliary power nearly gone. The impact flung Andros up against the control panel, and he thought it was Ashley who screamed when his head connected hard with the console.

He didn't feel any pain, just an odd sensation of detachment from his body. Dazed, he blinked his eyes a few times and tried to see past the stars clouding his vision. When his sight finally cleared, it was only so that he could watch in wide-eyed horror as the explosion that destroyed the two Psycho Rangers swallowed up the Mega Winger as well.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 21**

Cassie left the med bay to take a quick break, and Ashley let out a heavy sigh. There still hadn't been word from TJ and Carlos. She wasn't sure whether that was a good sign or not. They knew that the Mega Winger was beyond salvageable, but as for its two pilots... Andros twitched, and Ashley hurried across the room to grab his hand. For his sake, she prayed that they were both still alive.

Andros groaned quietly, his eyes opening as he stirred. Her palm resting against his shoulder didn't keep him from trying to sit up, but she just pushed him back down and leaned her head down towards his.

"Hey," she murmured, lightly kissing his cheek. "You're going to want to hold still--you've got another concussion."

"I--I couldn't have guessed." His voice was strained with pain, but it brought a smile to her face.

Andros paused for breath, before asking through obviously grit teeth, "Ash... what happened?"

Ashley took a deep breath. "We were battling the Psychos," she said tentatively. "You remember?"

"Some," he mumbled after a moment of thought. Andros squeezed his eyes shut against the light, dim as it was. "Karone... Zhane...

Ashley swallowed. She truly didn't want to be the one to tell him--but not telling him could be worse. "TJ and Carlos went out to look for them. They haven't come back yet."

With an obvious effort, Andros opened his eyes and squinted at her. "What?"

"The Mega Winger is trashed," she told him gently. "The two Psychos are gone, but we can't find Zhane and Karone."

"No." Andros shook his head, then immediately cried out and pressed his hands to his temples. "No," he repeated, his heavy breathing almost drowning out the word. "T--they're not... They're not. They can't be."

"I'm sure they're fine," Ashley lied. "They're both fighters."

She stroked his cheek, and added, "Worry about yourself for awhile, okay? I'll get you a pain reliever."

He closed his eyes again. Ashley returned with the pain reliever as quickly as she could, and helped him sit up slowly. He gagged as he swallowed the clear liquid, but he managed to keep it down. Andros stayed like that for awhlie longer, Ashley just standing there holding him in a one-armed hug.

"You think you can stand up?" she ventured, when he trembled slightly. Ashley wasn't sure if it was due to pain or emotion, or both, but she wanted to get him out of the med bay before TJ and Carlos returned. "You should get some rest."

Andros was silent. "Yeah," he muttered finally. "I can."

He almost couldn't. Ashley caught him when he swayed, steadying him as he glanced over at Deca's nearest eye. "Could you--Thanks," she finished, as she found them both in Andros's bedroom. "C'mon, you'll feel better if you sleep this off."

Andros let her get him into bed but refused to lay down. He wasn't going to sleep until he knew where Zhane and Karone were, he said. Ashley half-heartedly threatened to sedate him, but then slid into the bed beside him and slipped her arm around his shoulders.

"You could at least lie down, you know," she said, keeping her voice soft enough that it wouldn't aggravate his headache. "You'd be more comfortable, and your head would probably hurt less."

That it didn't take anything more to convince him told her just how much pain he was in. Slowly, he settled himself on his side and rested his head against her hip. He fumbled around to find her hand, and Ashley hid a smile as she squeezed his fingers; hiss eyes were already closing.

She touched his hair carefully and bent down to kiss his cheek, straightening up slowly to wait for news of Zhane and Karone.

**---**

The Power still healed him. Andros opened his eyes and sighed in relief when his head only twinged to move. His headache was still there, but he was too relieved that it no longer felt as though someone had trampled across his brain with the Megazord to care.

He looked to the side and frowned, seeing that Ashley was gone again. He knew that she'd been there; he remembered her waking him up several times, but now she was just gone.

"Deca?" he asked groggily. "Where's Ashley?"

"Ashley is in the infirmary," Deca replied, and Andros pushed back the covers.

"Where are Karone and Zhane?" he demanded, determinedly ignoring the queasy feeling in his stomach.

"They are also in the infirmary."

Andros froze. "They're not..."

"They will both be fine," Deca assured him, and he exhaled slowly.

"I have to see them," he murmured, more to himself than her. He paused when he climbed to his feet, glancing back at Deca. "How long was I asleep?"

"Seven hours, fifty-five minutes, and--"

"Okay," he broke in. "So I should be fine."

"I would recommend--"

"I'm fine, Deca," he insisted. Andros shoved his feet into his boots and grabbed his jacket, heading straight for the med bay.

The moment light hit his eyes, he knew it had been a mistake. The pounding in his head, reduced to a faint throb, suddenly intensified and he thought he cried out. He had the oddest sensation of floating; then his knees hit the floor hard and pain stabbed sharply through his brain.

Nausea swept over him. Andros clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut, breathing heavily through his nose. He really should go back to bed, he knew, but even more than that, he needed to know where his sister was.

Carefully, he picked himself up. Andros had no idea how he kept on his feet, but it wasn't something he was going to question just now. Slowly, he continued towards the med bay, thinking that maybe he'd get himself another pain reliever while he was at it.

He stopped cold in the doorway. His eyes were drawn to the two beds in the room, where Zhane and Karone both lay, motionless. Bandages covered much of their faces and both of Karone's arms. Zhane's left arm was in a cast, and while Andros couldn't see their lower bodies, he had a sickening suspicion that it wasn't just their upper bodies that were injured.

Andros took a stumbling step forward into the room, the panicked rush of blood in his ears deafening him. His sister, his twin sister--all that was left of his family--was just lying there, unmoving, barely breathing. He swallowed hard, not sure that he wasn't imagining the rise and fall of her chest.

"Andros," Carlos was the first to notice him. "You should be in bed, man."

"I--I... I'm fine." Hardly hearing him, Andros couldn't tear his eyes away from Zhane and Karone. "Will they... I mean..."

"They'll be fine," Cassie said gently. "They just need rest--as do you."

He shook his head firmly, not even noticing how much pain accompanied the motion. "No. I need to be here."

"You need to rest," Carlos informed him. "They're going to be fine."

"But--"

"We'll tell you the moment anything changes," TJ added. "They're healing just fine. And **you** will heal faster with rest."

"I'm fine," Andros insisted. Though it didn't at all, he added, "My head feels fine."

"That's the pain reliever," Carlos corrected. "You need at least a day for the Power to heal you, and it works faster if you're asleep."

"I know that," he said irritably. "But I feel well enough to think, and we need a plan. The Psychos--"

"We're working on it," Cassie assured him. "But you still need your sleep."

"I don't care," he almost shouted. "I want to be here with them."

"Hey, you shouldn't be shouting in here--Andros, what are you doing out of bed?" Ashley demanded, as she entered the med bay. "You're supposed to be sleeping."

"I don't care," he snapped at her. "I'm not leaving until they wake up."

"Andros, they're going to be fine," she promised him. "They're just asleep."

"I'm not leaving them," he insisted. Softly, he added, "Please, Ash... I can't run away this time."

Understanding softened her face, and she sighed. "Will it make you feel better?"

Andros nodded his head yes--and winced. His head throbbed, making him reach for his temples before he thought to try and hide the pain. Ashley reached out and wrapped a steadying arm around his waist, pressing the cup that Cassie passed her into his hand.

"Drink," she ordered. "The pain reliever's gone; you're going back to bed."

He did as he was told. His headache seemed to have faded by the time they reached his room again, but Ashley ignored that and pushed him towards his bunk. Andros started to protest, but when she curled up with him, he really couldn't.

"You're not leaving this room for at least another twelve hours," she told him. "And I don't care what you say, I'll tie you down if I have to. Got it?"

He nodded his head slowly. "Good. And also," she continued, "Zhane and Karone are not dying. They're banged up pretty badly, but they'll be completely fine."

"Thank you." Andros smiled faintly. "And you're not leaving either."

"Oh really?" Ashley poked a finger into his chest. "And why's that?"

"Because I'm not letting you go," he informed her, and the arm draped over her shoulders hugged her a little closer. "I love you."

"Love you too," she murmured, and kissed him.

He kissed her back, letting the feel of her lips against his soothe him, reassuring him that everything would be okay. His eyes closed as her lips trailed softly all across his face, tickling his ear just a little bit. Andros groaned softly when she kissed just beneath his jaw, opening his eyes in disappointment when she pulled away.

"Rest," she murmured, brushing her lips over his forehead once more. "I'll tell you the moment anything changes. They'll be fine--all three of you have thick heads."

Andros tried, but couldn't quite manage, to smile. "I have to see them," he mumbled. His eyes were suddenly anywhere but on her. "I need to apologize--"

"You don't," Ashley said sharply, her voice still thankfully soft. "Zhane was the one that blew up the zord, wasn't he?"

"My fault," he insisted. "I--"

"How exactly was it your fault?" she demanded. "The Megaship was still damaged--and don't you dare try to tell me that it's your fault we were attacked like that. You did the best that you could."

"But--"

"No buts," Ashley said firmly. "I don't want to hear it."

"But--"

Ashley pressed her fingers to his lips, silencing him. "I said, I don't want to hear it."

She felt him sigh. He kissed her fingers, and she pulled her hand away, smiling at him. "Much better."

"Ash... it just seems like there was something more that I should have done," he said quietly. "That's all."

"It always does," she agreed. She touched his cheek with a sigh. "But that doesn't mean that you didn't do everything that you could have done."

"It's not that easy," he protested.

"Sure it is," she told him. "It's not your fault, and you need to believe that."

Andros sighed. "Ash..."

"C'mon," she coaxed. "Say it."

He glared at her for a minute, then closed his eyes. He muttered something under his breath that Ashley couldn't hear, and she smiled. Careful not to disturb him, she tweaked a few strands of his hair between her fingers and kissed his forehead.

"What was that?" she prodded. "I couldn't hear you."

He expelled his breath in a sigh but kept his eyes closed. Ashley realized then that he really was tired. She knew she really should let him rest, but to her surprise, he opened his mouth and mumbled tiredly, "Not my fault."

"Good boy," she whispered teasingly. "Now get some rest."

Ashley tucked her head against his shoulder carefully when his eyes closed, just resting there with him for a few moments. Andros's breathing was already deepening, and she contemplated just drifting off herself. She hadn't realized how tired she was...

Andros shifted slightly, and she heard him chuckle quietly. Ashley cracked one eye open and couldn't help laughing herself. Quickly, she reached up and pulled her cat off of the pillow, where he was happily butting against Andros's nose in hope of attention.

"You," Andros sighed, poking a finger at the furball Ashley cuddled, quietly giggling, against her cheek. "What did you want?"

Oddball purred and batted at his finger. Andros couldn't help smiling slightly as Oddball squirmed out of Ashley's grasp and pounced on his wrist, before deciding it was as good a place of any for a nap.

"Aww, look how cute," Ashley giggled at him. "See, he's making sure you can't go anywhere, either."

Andros wrinkled his nose at her. "You're still not allowed to leave."

"No," Ashley murmured and snuggled closer. "I know."


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 22**

"Ash?"

"Hey, Cass." Ashley let out a sigh and closed her book. "What's up?"

"I just came to see how you were doing." Cassie muffled a yawn with her hand. "Long day, huh?"

"You could say that." Ashley smiled faintly and pushed herself up. "Zhane and Karone still sleeping?"

"TJ's watching them now." Cassie nodded. "Carlos left to get some sleep."

"Sounds like a good idea..." Ashley glanced down at the book in her hand. "How does _MacBeth_ end?"

Cassie regarded her in amusement. "Everyone dies."

"Okay." Ashley tossed the book onto her dresser and sat up. "I can go to bed, then."

Cassie laughed. "You'll be getting plenty of rest soon," she reminded her with a grin. "Only two Psychos to go."

"But we're down one zord," Ashley pointed out, and sighed. "And one of those Psychos is red."

Cassie frowned. "You think he'll morph."

"I know he'll fight." Ashley fiddled with her hands for a few moments, letting out a sigh as she looked up at Cassie. "He's wearing the morpher. I don't know if he'll use it or not."

"You think he'll morph, then," Cassie decided. "You think you could stop him?"

"Probably," Ashley admitted. "But--and this will sound completely crazy--I don't know if I should."

"You sound completely crazy," Cassie confirmed. Curiously, she added, "Why?"

"Because..." Ashley shrugged her shoulders uneasily. "Because I keep thinking that he's stronger than it is."

"I don't know, Ash," Cassie said skeptically. "The Power is strong."

"Andros is stronger," Ashley maintained stubbornly. "I know he is."

Cassie twirled her hair around two fingers in thought. "Maybe," she allowed doubtfully. "But Ash, he almost **killed** you."

"I know." Ashley's face clouded. "But that wasn't him. He was still in there, Cass, trying to talk to me..." 

Her voice trailed off. "He's stronger than it is," she said firmly. "I know it."

"I hope you're right." Cassie stifled a yawn with one hand, looking to Ashley sheepishly. "Sorry..."

"Long day," Ashley said, with a yawn of her own. "I think I'll get to bed, too."

Cassie raised an eyebrow when Ashley followed her into the hall. "Weren't you just in bed?"

"Um." Ashley blushed suddenly, squirming under Cassie's amused stare. "Well... I, um..."

"Andros's bed is that way, you mean," Cassie supplied with a giggle, jabbing one thumb to her left. "You've been in his room every night for almost a week and you thought we wouldn't notice?"

"We're not doing anything," Ashley muttered, just the tiniest bit defensive. "Just sleeping."

"If you say so." Cassie grinned and then shrugged. "What you do or don't do with Andros is none of my business."

"You're right; it's not." Ashley glared at her best friend half-heartedly. "We really aren't doing anything!"

"I was just kidding," Cassie said quickly. "I believe you. Besides," she added with a grin, "I **know** you'd tell me if you had."

"You..." Ashley groaned. She shook her head with a sigh. "Fine. Get back in here." 

Ashley retreated back into her bedroom and Cassie followed, both girls sitting cross-legged on the bed. Ashley chewed her lower lip thoughtfully for a few moments, hugging the pillow to her chest with a small sigh.

"We really haven't done anything." She paused. "But, well... almost..."

"Almost?" Cassie quirked one eyebrow. More seriously, she asked, "What stopped you?"

Ashley couldn't help laughing a little. "My ankle was still sprained and he accidentally bumped it."

"That's all?"

Ashley nodded her head slowly. "Yeah."

"So--you think you're going to sleep with him?"

"I know I want to." Ashley nodded her head slowly, giggling slightly as she remembered that conversation. "I know he wants to."

"I don't think I even want to know what's so funny," Cassie said dryly. "But seriously, Ash, have you thought about this? I mean, really thought about it?"

"Of course I have," Ashley answered, looking mildly insulted. "I know that I love him. He'd never hurt me, and he wouldn't have sex with someone that he didn't love."

"I remember him saying something like that once," Cassie nodded, and Ashley looked at her in surprise.

"You and Andros were talking about sex?"

Cassie laughed and shook her head. "Carlos and I were talking about... something, and Andros was listening."

Ashley studied her curiously. She wondered at Cassie's slight grimace but she didn't ask. "What do you think?" she wanted to know.

"Just be careful, Ash," Cassie warned, but smiled. "He really loves you."

"I know." Ashley grinned to herself. "And he's gorgeous."

"If you say so." Cassie laughed at the look Ashley shot her. "What can I say? His hair."

"It's cute," Ashley insisted, and laughed. "But I am being careful, Cass. I got these..."

She leaned over to rummage around in her top drawer for a moment. Cassie caught the box easily, studying the pills before passing them back. "Just remember they only work if you take one everyday," she said, half-jokingly. "Though it would be interesting to see if his hair is hereditary."

Ashley stuck her tongue out, though imagining a little stripey baby caused her to giggle happily. "I should go see how he's feeling," she said, frowning suddenly. "He was supposed to be sleeping off the last of his headache."

"Tell him to get well soon." Cassie smiled and stood up. "Night, Ash."

"Night." Ashley waved as Cassie left her room, waiting a few moments before getting up herself and quietly slipping into Andros's room.

He was curled up asleep the way he'd been when she'd left the room a few hours ago. Ashley smiled to herself and slowly lowered herself onto the bed, careful not to disturb his much-needed rest. The worst effects of his concussion should have faded by now, but it would be at least morning before he was completely healed.

She just watched him for a few moments with a smile on her lips. In the near-total darkness of the room she couldn't she much more than the blond stripes in his hair, but she could just stare at him for hours.

As her eyes grew used to the dimness, she could just barely make out the shape of his face. Shadows obscured much of his expression but Ashley was certain that it was a peaceful one. Unable to resist, she leaned over and pressed her lips to his, stroking his hair lightly as she snuggled closer to the warmth of his body.

He twitched slightly, still asleep, a soft sigh escaping his lips. Ashley winced guiltily, relieved when he didn't wake. Drawing her hand away, she tucked her head against his shoulder comfortably, smiling when he shifted a little closer to her.

"Love you," she murmured drowsily, though she knew he couldn't hear her. Closing her eyes, Ashley let the even rhythm of his deep breathing soothe her to sleep.

**---**

_Ashley..._ He was aware of her before he was truly aware of himself, and as his consciousness drifted back from the edge of sleep, the sight of her curled against him brought a smile to his face.

Andros stroked her cheek gently. Her eyes fluttered open at his touch and he drew back apologetically, but she only smiled and stretched. 

"How are you feeling?" she yawned. "Head still hurt?"

It took a minute for the day before to come flooding back. Andros frowned and gave his head an experimental shake, sighing in relief when he didn't feel so much as a twinge. Ashley reached up and lightly ran her fingers over what had been a nasty bump only a few hours before, smiling at him as she did so.

"All healed," she announced brightly, combing her fingers through his hair. "Hey--your hair..."

"What about it?" He tried to concentrate on her words, but was hard-pressed to keep from shivering with pleasure. That felt way too good and he felt himself blush, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Is it hereditary?" she wanted to know, wrapping some of the blond around her finger.

"From my mother's family," he answered, and sobered slightly. "My grandmother. Both of my aunts inherited her looks, but she looks... looked like my grandfather."

Ashley nodded, tugging playfully. "You've got beautiful hair," she murmured, still toying with it. "It's gorgeous... just like you," she added with a grin.

He wrinkled his nose at her but couldn't keep the pleased smile from spreading across his face. "Thanks, I guess."

He caught her hands gently, forcing the motion of her fingers to stop. "I can't think when you do that," he said, deciding that she didn't need to know why.

Ashley just giggled at him in delight, and he realized that she'd known all along just how much he liked her fingers in his hair. "You're cute."

Andros decided not to respond to that.

"Come on," Ashley said suddenly. "Let's go somewhere. Out to breakfast, to the beach, anywhere. You don't have anything important to do, right?"

"I..." He frowned in thought, then smiled and shook his head. "I can't think of anything."

"Good," Ashley smiled brightly. "Breakfast and the beach, then? I know you liked it the last time we were there."

"Would have been better we hadn't been attacked," he muttered, but then smiled. "I'll meet you in the holding bay in twenty minutes."

Ashley kissed his lips quickly before sliding out of bed. "See you then."

He showered quickly and then practically tore his room apart searching for something that would be considered appropriate swimwear, threw on a pair of shorts and a tank top, and arrived at the holding bay just as Ashley did. Andros took one look at her and knew it was going to be nearly impossible to think of anything but her for the next several hours. She wore a yellow spaghetti strap over her bikini top, but her shorts left much of her long legs bare.

"You look great," Ashley told him, and he realized he was staring at her.

"So do you," he said, reluctantly fixing his gaze on the floor just in front of him. "Where are we going?"

Ashley shrugged and slid an arm around his waist. "We can just walk around for awhile. It's still early."

And so they did, wandering around Angel Grove hand in hand before Ashley lit up and dragged him into a bakery. She ordered two of what she called cinnamom rolls, handing him one as they strolled back out onto the streets.

"Don't like it?" She giggled when he wrinkled his nose.

"It's... sweet. Very sweet." He took another, smaller bite, and found it much easier to swallow.

"I'll go get you something else," she offered, but he shook his head.

"It's not so bad," he said, still nibbling slowly. "I like it."

Ashley laughed and took his hand, wrapping her fingers around his as they walked what had to be halfway across town towards the beach. He squeezed her hand gently, his thumb gently rubbing one of her knuckles. She smiled at him, and until he heard the nearby screams of terror, he thought it was going to be a good day.

He caught Ashley's eye and they took off running towards the sound only a block away. People surged past them in a frightened wave, and as they pushed their way forward, Andros's heart sank as he realized what they were up against.

"Red ranger," Psycho Red growled. "I've been looking for you."

Andros's eyes strayed to his morpher, then snapped back to Psycho Red. He couldn't do that... he shouldn't.

Ashley could. "Let's rocket," she shouted, her body swallowed up in a golden glow. Half-blinded by the light, Andros didn't see Psycho Red move until it was too late. As he stumbled back, he saw the flash of sunlight against a metal blade as Psycho Red's saber descended on Ashley...

She hadn't completely morphed, he realized in horror, as the half-formed suit vanished from around her. Ashley hit the ground limply, motionless. Andros staggered back up and rushed to her side, almost forgetting completely about Psycho Red as he rolled her over with trembling hands.

"Ash, wake up," he whispered, staring hard at her chest. He couldn't tell if the motion he would have sworn he saw there was due to her breathing or his wishful thinking. "Ash..."

The blow had struck her right shoulder and slashed straight down, though only her shoulder was visibly wounded. Gently, he set her down again. Ranger or not, he knew that he had to fight. Motion just inside his line of vision snapped him back to action, and he stepped in front of Ashley protectively.

"You are going to pay for that," he hissed, fists balled.

"Then fight me, coward," Psycho Red challenged, and Andros stopped thinking.

"Bring it on," he retorted. He flipped open his morpher. "Let's rocket!"


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 23**

His morph formed instantly. Andros waited only that long before charging forward at Psycho Red, summoning his Spiral Saber as he went. Time was not something that he had much of right now; he didn't know how long he had before things went wrong.

He should have known that it wouldn't be that easy. Psycho Red was waiting with his sword drawn, and Andros was almost too distracted to realize it. Cursing silently to himself for not being more aware, he leapt backwards.

His eyes strayed to Ashley as he spun himself around. She hadn't moved from where she lay on the sidewalk, but it was her closed eyes that made his heart thud in fear. Andros could only hope that she would be all right.

Psycho Red didn't hesitate to take advantage of his distraction, and Andros took several blows straight to his chest, one after the other. Pain ripped through him and he cried out, his knees buckling as he swayed on his feet.

"Surrendering so soon?" Psycho Red taunted, kicking him over onto his back.

"Never," Andros gasped, choking as Psycho Red stepped on his throat. Desperately, he fumbled for his Astro Blaster and fired it upwards, rolling onto his hands and knees when Psycho Red stumbled back.

His brain throbbed as he struggled back to his feet. Andros closed his eyes and tried to think past it, tried to ignore it while he still could. That uncontrollable urge to just destroy was crawling around inside of him, wanting to claw its way out.

His Spiral Saber clattered to the ground as he balled his hands into fists, holding his body tense as he struggled for control of himself. Psycho Red flew towards him and Andros squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself. White-hot pain tore through his left side, and the ache to just give in beat itself against him more strongly.

He ground his teeth together and opened his eyes, moving jerkily to pick up his saber. Andros watched himself step forward towards Psycho Red, fighting as hard as he could to break the through the hold on his body. Yes, he needed to fight, but he couldn't do it like this. He'd be turning on Ashley again if he gave in.

Ashley. Yes, think of Ashley... Karone and Zhane. TJ, Cassie, and Carlos. His friends and family. Who should be here right now fighting with him, he realized, annoyed. _Where the hell are they?_

He grinned to himself as he pictured the look on Zhane's face when he dragged them to the Simudeck in the middle of the night for training. That would be appropriate punishment... to start with.

His head cleared.

His eyes snapped open as whatever it was that had had a hold on him released him. Andros felt for a second that he was flying, just floating. Then his knees gave out on him again, and he collapsed as someone approached him from behind.

"You know," Lyra remarked, "this really would have been simpler if you'd just given me your morpher that day in the park."

Andros blinked at her dizzily. "You didn't do anything."

"That's why it would have been simpler." Her eyes strayed over to Psycho Red. "Shouldn't you be killing him?"

"Shouldn't you be somewhere else?" he growled, grabbing his Spiral Saber as he struggled back to his feet. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Nope," she replied cheerfully. "Oh, and I thought you might like to know that Cosmos and Psycho Violet will be distracting your friends for awhile longer."

"What?" Andros grunted after a kick to his stomach and doubled over, determinedly ignoring her after that.

Psycho Red wasn't as strong as he looked, Andros realized. His weak point was the same as the other Psychos--breach their energy shield and they went down.

Andros leapt forward, his saber slicing across Psycho Red's face. He paid for it with a blow to the chest, but it was worth it when Psycho Red clapped one hand to his "eye" and staggered back.

"Booster mode," Andros muttered, and fired. The resulting explosion forced him to turn his head away, but he knew that he'd hit right.

His elation quickly dimmed when he found himself in a chokehold.

"Impressive," Lyra murmured, dragging his head back a little further. "I'd forgotten how well you fight. I'd demorph now if I were you, though," she continued, and he saw her staff materialize in her hand. "You might lose your yellow ranger if you don't."

"If you--"

"If I hurt her, you'll kill me, I'm sure," she said in a bored tone. "But if I kill her, she's still dead, yes?"

Andros growled furiously. "Power down," he muttered, and gasped in pain as his left side throbbed.

His eyes watered as he clutched his chest. Lyra muttered a curse and released him, letting him drop to the ground. He groaned weakly as his forehead scraped hard against the pavement. Andros rolled over onto his back, determined to get back up.

Then he blacked out.

**---**

"Andros."

He groaned loudly in response to the soft murmur in his ear. He couldn't quite place it, but it was a voice he knew well and instinct told him to shy away from it. However he tried, though, he couldn't, and he flinched as consciousness slammed him back into his body.

His situation didn't look promising. A thick manacle was snapped securely around each of his wrists and ankles, each attached to a chain that was pulled taut. His arms and legs were pulled apart, leaving him completely vulnerable to attack. He judged from the smirk of the woman before him that she knew he knew this and was quite pleased with the fact.

"Lyra," he mumbled unevenly, blinking as the image of the black-clad sorceress swam before his eyes. "What... Ashley," he breathed, his eyes sliding past her and widening with horror as they took in the crumpled form of the yellow ranger.

"Don't worry, she's not dead," Lyra informed him with a frown. He heard the unspoken "yet" at the end of her sentence and swallowed, desperately trying to think up a way to save her before he lost someone else that he loved.

His eyes closed as he felt her hands on his face, hissing in pain as her fingers came into contact with what felt like a large gash above his right eyebrow.

"You seem to have an affinity for head wounds," she remarked, sparing a glance at Ashley. "As well as an apparent fetish for the color yellow."

Andros bit back the retort on the tip of his tongue and stared ahead stoically, ignoring her as best he could with her breathing almost down his neck. He hoped she would grow bored with him if he didn't answer. He knew she would. He knew her.

He shivered involuntarily from the chill in the cell, and then realized he wasn't wearing nearly as much as he had been when he'd left the Megaship. "Where's my shirt?" he demanded.

"Psycho Red sliced you open with that blow." Lyra shrugged. "If you're going to be ungrateful about it, I could always let you bleed to death."

Andros glanced down at himself with a frown. Sure enough, the wound that he knew had stretched from his chest to his hip was gone without a trace. Suspiciously, he looked back at Lyra.

"Why'd you heal me?"

Her smile widened. "Half the things I have planned for you are only fun if you're alive."

He really didn't like the sound of that. "And Ashley? What did you do to her?"

"Nothing." Lyra shrugged. "Psycho Red attacked her when she was halfway through morphing. The backlash from the Power knocked her out cold."

Andros narrowed his eyes at her. "You really haven't done anything to her?"

"No." Her eyes glittered dangerously. "I'm having trouble deciding what I should do to her."

"Lyra..." Nausea swirled around in his stomach as he stared at her. "Let her go."

"Sorry." Lyra shrugged. "Hard to put a dagger through her heart when you don't behave yourself if she's not here, isn't it?"

"If that's all you want her for, let her go," he pleaded.

"As much as I enjoy hearing you beg..." She shook her head. "You won't even try to escape as long as she's here."

Andros glared at her. Lyra prodded his chest with her fingertips. "Well?" she demanded. "Am I right?"

He glowered at her, but looked away and muttered, "Yes."

"Much better." Lyra smirked at him before settling back against the wall. "I'd forgotten how much fun you could be."

Andros bit down hard on his lower lip to keep from retorting. He needed to concentrate on getting himself and Ashley off of this ship alive, and getting dragged into an argument with her wasn't going to help him in the least. He fixed his eyes firmly on Ashley and tuned out anything else Lyra might have said.

He didn't know how much time passed before the cell door clanged open. Cosmos locked the door behind him and leaned against the wall, his eyes moving from Ashley to Lyra to Andros.

"Hello, little brother." He smiled faintly when Andros scowled at him.

"I'm not your brother."

"You are," Cosmos sighed. "And there's nothing either of us can do about it."

"What do you want?" Andros growled in reply.

"We're still deciding that--but there's no need to hold back while we figure it out."

Andros glared at him, tugging hard on the chains holding him to the wall. "I will kill you if you hurt her."

"Don't make threats you can't keep," was all Cosmos said, his attention fixed on Ashley. "Can't you wake her up or something?"

"If you want me to." Lyra tilted her head towards Andros. "It kept him quiet to leave her like that."

Andros bit his lip hard; he wasn't going to answer that. And if they'd wake Ashley up, that would be one less thing for him to worry about.

Lyra knelt and laid one hand against Ashley's cheek, faint golden light flowing from one into the other. Andros held his breath when Lyra straightened up, but Ashley didn't stir.

"What's wrong with her?" he demanded, struggling vainly against the chains. "Why isn't she awake?"

"Your fault." Lyra shrugged. "Wore out my magic saving you. Don't worry, she'll be fine in half an hour."

"Until then, we'll just have to amuse ourselves with you," Cosmos continued for her. His eyes slid from Andros to Lyra. "What do we do with him now?"

She smiled coldly, and strode across the room until the tip of her nose brushed Andros's. He met her gaze without flinching, glaring furiously at her when she touched his cheek.

"I have the perfect idea." Lyra smirked at him. "It'll be fun."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Just two chapters to go, I think... I'll have the next one up as soon as I can, but it's just about time for finals and I really should be studying. I will update All I Am in the next few days, but I can't promise anything else until the 20th or so. Although, I actually wrote the first version of this scene way back in May instead of studying for the math final I had then, so who knows. ::smiles:: Original scene was far more twisted, too... Anyway, this story will be finished by New Years. I hope you like it, please review. 


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 24**

Ashley's head spun as she woke up, but the fog surrounding her mind quickly cleared. It didn't take long for her to realize that she was on the Dark Fortress. She had been here too many times for her liking.

She bit her lip as she tried to remember how she'd ended up here this time. She'd been morphing... Psycho Red had attacked. Ashley groaned and slid back against the wall.

This was just great. She was trapped on the Dark Fortress, Psycho Red was on the loose, who knew whether her friends even knew she was gone, and where was Andros? He'd been with her, she remembered suddenly, and forced herself back up.

She spotted him quickly, lying still and curled up in the far corner of the cell. His eyes were closed as if in sleep--or unconsciousness--but as she crawled closer to his side, Ashley saw that his eyes were squeezed tightly shut. He was breathing quickly in and out, shallow breaths that also told her he was awake.

His hands were balled into fists, his arms wrapped around his knees. Ashley laid a careful hand on his shoulder, biting her lip when he didn't react. "Andros?"

He didn't respond, just laying there and trembling. Leaning closer, Ashley saw tearstains on his cheeks and she felt her heart break. She didn't want to know how much Andros had been put through to break him down this far.

His skin was freezing. She didn't know how he'd gotten this cold even in the chill of the small cell they were trapped in, and he was always so warm too... Ashley tugged gently on his shoulders, raising him up into a sitting position. Sliding between him and the wall, she pulled his body against her own, her arms and legs wrapped around him.

"Andros," she whispered, cradling his head against her chest. "Will you talk to me?"

He didn't answer. Ashley slid her hands across his chest and arms, rubbing his skin frantically in an attempt to warm it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to stop his shivering.

What had they done to him?

"Hey," she tried again, tilting her cheek against the top of his head. "Can you open your eyes for a few minutes?"

When he still did nothing to signal that he was even aware of her, Ashley held him a little closer. Gently kissing his hair and not knowing what else to do, she just rubbed his shoulders and murmured soothing words in his ear, hoping that he would hear her.

It felt like hours later before another idea occured to her. Ashley reached out tentatively with her mind, calling his name. She felt nothing for a moment, then a flicker of something, and hugged him harder.

_"I know you can hear me."_ She waited, and thought that she felt him relax.

Ashley kept talking to him, her palms still rubbing across his arms. She'd given up trying to warm him. Calming him seemed more important now, and so she pulled him as close to her as she could and held him, rocking him in her arms, anything that she could think of to bring him out of it just a little more.

"Andros?" she murmured, lightly kissing his shoulder. "You in there?"

She heard his breath catch. Andros shuddered and she held him tighter, not saying a word until his trembling eased. She relaxed her embrace just enough that she could see his face, brushing her fingers against his cheek.

"Ash." His voice sounded like he hadn't used it in years, but she managed a tiny smile.

"Yeah." She hugged him close again, just clinging to him. "I'm here, and I'm not leaving." She hesitated. "What happened?"

He was silent for a moment. "I thought it was real," he murmured finally, and shivered. He hugged his arms to his chest and let out a deep breath, his shoulders shaking slightly. "I--I miss my friends, Ash."

"I know you do." Ashley's heart broke for him at the sadness she heard in his voice. She kissed his cheek, stroking his hair with one hand. "Let it out if you want to."

He nodded slowly, but he didn't cry. "I'm going to kill her," he growled, and she swallowed at coldness of his voice. "Him too. She--" Ashley heard his voice hitch again, and he forced the words out through grit teeth. "She showed me how they--what they did..."

"What?" A queasy feeling welled up in Ashley's stomach. "They made you... watch that?"

He shook his head slowly. "Through their eyes." He looked at her helplessly. "Why couldn't I save **any** of them?"

She didn't have an answer for him. Ashley just stroked his hair silently until he pulled out of her arms. "They loved you," she said finally, one of his hands between both of hers. "Andros, would they want you blaming yourself for the rest of your life?"

He sighed. "No," he admitted quietly. "Zhane would probably start trying to knock some sense into me if he was here. It's what he did after KO-35..."

Ashley smiled slightly. "Smart of him."

"Zeah made him." Andros let out a short, extremely forced laugh. "She wouldn't do it herself--she said it wasn't fair if I didn't hit back."

She squeezed his hand gently. Andros smiled sadly, and sighed. "I wish I'd had a chance to really say goodbye to her," he said softly. "I wish I'd had a chance to even sort of say goodbye to my friends. To my parents."

The pain in his voice made her ache for him, and Ashley tightened her fingers over his. "I wish that you did, too."

"Thanks." He let out another sigh, and shook his head. "We need to get out of here."

She nodded slowly, still worried as she watched him. "Ideas?"

He shook his head no, and Ashley frowned as she got a good look at his left cheek. "Andros?" She touched the cut gently, looking at him curiously when he tensed. "What happened?"

He fell silent for a few moments. "She got upset when I bit her tongue."

The sick feeling in her stomach intensified. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she could think of anything to say. "What... what happened?" she asked tentatively.

"She was trying to prove a point." He hugged his arms to his chest and leaned back against the wall. "It didn't work nearly as well as she wanted it to."

"Andros..." Ashley bit her lip, swallowing hard. "I... Look at me for a second?"

He did, slowly, and she leaned in to press her lips carefully to his. "I love you," she said quietly. "Always."

"Always," he echoed. A faint smile touched his lips before he glanced around at their surroundings. "We have to get out of here," he repeated. "They'll be back."

She nodded slowly, following his gaze around the cell. Ashley let out a heavy sigh. "I don't think we're going to find a way out of here... we'll have to run for it."

She glanced down at her wrist automatically, her heart sinking when she found it bare. "Now what?"

"I don't know." Andros glared down at his wrist, then glanced up at her with a small smile. "Oh, I won't turn evil anymore."

"Huh?" It took her a moment to realize what he meant, then she laughed and reached out for his hand. "I knew you were strong enough."

He smiled back and squeezed her hand. "Let's just hope that we can find our morphers before they do that again."

**---**

"What do you mean you can't find them?" Zhane demanded. "Where the hell did the Dark Fortress go?"

"I cannot find read their signals at this time," Deca repeated patiently. "I will continue searching."

"You'd better," Zhane muttered. "Cosmos has it in for Andros."

"He's not answering me," Karone said grimly, her eyes clouded with concern. "I can't tell if he's blocking me deliberately or if he's unconscious."

"I'll go out and look for them," Cassie offered. "We have an idea of where the Dark Fortress was before this, right?"

"You'll be walking straight into a trap," TJ objected.

"I know." She shook her hair back from her face. "But Ash is my best friend, and I'm not sitting around here without doing something to get them back."

"Cassie--"

"I'll go with you," Carlos volunteered. "If you're sure."

"I am," she said firmly. "Teej, do you want to come?"

TJ glanced up at Zhane and Karone. "Do you two need me here?"

"We'll keep searching," Karone said distractedly. "Take the scanners and be careful."

Zhane let out a deep breath as the other rangers filed off of the bridge. "He's all right," he assured her quietly. "They'll take care of each other."

Karone expelled her breath in a shaky sigh. "Right," she murmured. "You're right."

"Of course I am," he said cheerfully. "Thought you'd have learned that by now."

She slapped his arm lightly, though she did smile. "Come on," she said, and turned back to the scanners. "We'd better have something for the others to work with."

"You've got to be kidding me," Zhane grumbled a moment later. The alarm shrieked loudly, startling both of them to attention. "What did they send now?"

"Psycho Violet," Karone said through grit teeth. "Deca, get everyone to Angel Grove, now. The sooner we get rid of it, the sooner we can find Andros and Ashley."

**---**

Andros's head snapped up when the door slid open. Somewhat to his surprise, it was Cosmos that stepped into the cell and not Lyra. Ashley was already scrambling to her feet, and he followed more slowly.

He met his brother's blue eyes without flinching. "What do you want now?"

"At the moment?" Cosmos's eyes flickered between Andros and Ashley, his lips curling into a sneer. "I have a challenge for you."

Andros narrowed his eyes. "What kind of challenge?"

Cosmos held up his hand. Their two morphers hovered in the air behind him, and Andros's brain caught up with him just before he reached for his. "What's the catch?"

"You don't trust me?" Cosmos smirked at him, then shoved the morpher a little closer. "It's simple enough. You win, you go free. We win, you die."

"I think we'll pass," Andros said coolly, eyeing the other man distrustfully. "What did you do to them?"

"Nothing."

"I don't believe you."

"We'll do it," Ashley declared loudly, and Andros's eyes widened.

"We'll what?" He gaped at her for half a moment, and then he grudgingly admitted that they would be better off with their morphers than without them. He could only hope that it would be enough.

"We thought you'd agree." Cosmos smiled coldly, and then turned and left the cell.

"Ash..."

"We don't have another choice," she said quietly.

"I know that," Andros agreed softly. "But... just--stay safe."

She nodded, fastening the strap back onto her wrist. He watched her, an unfamiliar fear forming in the pit of his stomach when she leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"I will," Ashley promised him. "As long as you do."

**A/N:** One chapter to go; it'll be up within a week. Look for an update of All I Am tomorrow (today?) or the day after. I'm on break now, so theoretically I should be able to get lots of writing done. :) I hope you like it, please review.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Power Rangers.

**Chapter 25**

Karone closed her eyes against the explosion of energy, feeling the ground rock beneath her feet. Psycho Violet fell back, weakened but still very much alive. She sighed and readjusted the grip she had on her staff.

This was taking too long, she decided in annoyance. They needed to be finding Andros and Ashley right now, not wasting their time with this. She remembered KO-35 with a lump in her throat; they had been too late to save their friends that time. Never again, she vowed to herself, and charged towards her Psycho Ranger. She wasn't going to lose her brother, and she wasn't going to lose her friend. Not now, and not like this.

Carlos caught Psycho Violet across the back, sending her forward. Cassie caught her and threw her back. One of the last blows must have breached her energy shield, Karone realized, seeing faint wisps of smoke curling in the air around Psycho Violet.

"Now," TJ shouted, and he and Zhane each grabbed an arm.

Karone drew back her arm while the two of them held Psycho Violet in place. She hesitated for an instant and then brought her staff down, whirling around to brace herself against the inevitable explosion. She felt heat at her back and didn't move until it faded, only then glancing cautiously over her shoulder.

The relief she felt when she saw nothing was quickly dimmed by growing concern for Andros and Ashley. She tried again to get her brother to answer her, and yet again he didn't answer. Karone bit her lip uncertainly and shook her head, calling on her glider.

"I'm going to find them," she announced, abruptly silencing the other rangers' impromptu celebrations.

"We're coming with you," TJ said firmly. "We had a heading on the Dark Fortress just Psycho Violet showed up."

"Then let's go." Zhane hopped up onto his glider, unusually serious. "We better find them before one or both of them ends up dead."

**---**

The yellow ranger was going to kill her. Lyra watched Andros for a moment, eyes narrowed, before her gaze slid back to Ashley. She watched the other girl in mild amusement for a few seconds longer, frowning when her eyes kept landing on that stupid morpher.

Not that Lyra could really blame her. She'd lost track of how many times they'd captured Ashley, and after what she'd just done to Andros... As much fun as it was to torture the red ranger, if she had been in Ashley's place, Lyra would have been just as furious.

And it really was fun to torture Andros, even if it was a little too easy. What they had done to him earlier was nothing more than a simple projection of her own memories onto his mind. It had worked astoundingly well, so much so that she was already lining up a new set of memories to force onto him. Maybe what exactly they had done to his parents... She would just love to see the look on his face then.

Her eyes strayed to the scratch she'd left on Andros's cheek. Next time, she'd have to remember to break him mentally **first**.Not that she planned on doing that again; she'd kissed him in an attempt to convince him that he could betray his soulmate. She highly doubted that he actually knew Ashley was his bondmate, but it had still been great fun up until she'd realized that she could betray hers.

The revelation had disturbed her, and she'd quickly moved on to tormenting him with the memories. She smiled to herself sadistically. That had worked far better than she'd expected to, and it had been worth the bitten tongue just to hear him whimper, tears of anguish trickling silently down his cheeks.

Lyra rubbed her tongue against the roof of her mouth experimentally and winced. He had sharp teeth. She briefly considered ripping them out one by one. She decided against it a moment later. It seemed like more trouble than it was worth, especially when she could more easily do much worse.

The possibilities were endless, and she couldn't help smirking when he looked up and accidentally caught her eye. Chopping him into tiny little bits was one option. Or maybe they should reserve that for his girlfriend and find something else for him. Or they could chop them both into tiny little bits.

On second thought, it didn't seem nearly as exciting. Dismemberment had never really appealed to her. Lyra sighed and wished that they would just morph already. She wanted to get this over with.

**---**

Andros called for his Spiral Saber quietly, his eyes squarely on Cosmos. Ashley had insisted on fighting Lyra herself, and the tone of her voice as she'd said it had almost been enough to reassure him that she would come out just fine. Almost.

He tilted his head towards her and she nodded almost imperceptibly. Cosmos and Lyra had caught the gesture, and when Andros's gaze snapped forward again, he found them charging forward. Letting out a quiet breath, he reluctantly took a step forward and blocked the swing of his brother's sword.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ashley kick Lyra's staff out of her way, and he hid a smile. He couldn't help wanting to tear her in two himself, but Ashley was just as protective of him as he was of her, and right now, she was furious.

Andros turned his attention back to Cosmos. Ashley didn't need him getting taken out during a fight because he was too busy watching her to worry about himself. She'd probably kill him herself.

Cosmos let Andros beat him back a few steps before he lunged forward. Andros dodged easily, his saber sparking as it collided with the other blade. He almost wanted to relax, confident in the knowledge that he was the better of the two. He didn't, remembering that after all, he'd ended up prisoner on this ship more times than he cared to admit.

Ducking to avoid having his head taken off, Andros spun, eyes on the door behind Cosmos. They weren't quite on a Simudeck, but close enough. The door should still open, even with the program running, and he was fairly certain that he could remember the way off of the Dark Fortress.

Ashley stumbled into him, clutching her stomach while she recovered her breath. He caught her with one arm and steadied her, his eyes flickering back to the door.

_"I have an idea,"_ he told her, hoping that neither Cosmos nor Lyra could read his thoughts. _"Can you run?"_

Still winded, Ashley nodded. Andros grabbed her hand and threw his weight against Cosmos, knocking him off balance. Ashley fired her Astro Blaster towards Lyra, forcing her down just long enough for them to run for the door.

To Andros's amazement, it wasn't locked. He didn't stop to wonder about it, though, as he and Ashley took off down the hall. They'd probably just triggered every alarm on the ship.

"I think they're right behind us," Ashley panted, as they rounded a corner, still hand-in-hand. "We're never going to make it out of here like this."

He didn't answer until he'd found them a semi-secluded corner to pause and catch their breaths. _"Last time, we got out through the Velocifighter bay."_

_"You really think we can do that again?"_ She sounded skeptical, and he couldn't really blame her.

"I don't think we're close enough to the Megaship to teleport out," he answered aloud, and she sighed.

"Let's hurry, then," she muttered. "Before they realize how much of a security risk that is."

**---**

"Uh... guys?" Cassie's voice was worried. "This doesn't look too good."

"What doesn't?" Karone's head snapped towards her.

"Velocifighters," the pink ranger said grimly. "Seven of them, headed straight for us."

"Can they see us?"

"They're headed straight for us," TJ retorted. "I think it's safe to say that they can."

"No, wait a minute..." Carlos had pulled the scanner away from Cassie. "I think... Andros and Ashley?"

"What?" Zhane looked up, squinting towards the Velocifighters. They were still far away but rapidly coming closer, and just standing still waiting for them was making him uneasy. He thought he saw a flash of red streaking along ahead of the Velocifighters but for all he knew it was a meteorite.

Ah well... what was life without a little excitement? "Let's go," he shouted over his shoulder, and took off. Oddly, running straight for the Velocifighters wasn't nearly as unsettling as sitting around as they had been a moment ago. He supposed the others felt the same; they were on his heels.

_"You're going the wrong way, you know."_ Zhane let out a breath in relief as he heard Andros's amused voice in his mind.

_"We're rescuing you,"_ he retorted.

_"Does it look like we need rescuing?"_

_"You've got seven Velocifighters chasing you."_

_"Oh."_ Andros considered that for a moment. _"We would have made it back fine."_

_"Tell that to your sister,"_ Zhane responded with a smirk, slowing his glider. "Hey, guys? In about thirty seconds, we're going to be in their firing range."

"Can we start flying the other way now?" Carlos wanted to know. "We can see Andros and Ash, they're alive, they're great. They know how to get back to the Megaship."

"I like that idea," TJ agreed, and Zhane rolled his eyes.

"As soon as Andros and Ashley catch up, we can leave," he said firmly.

"Does anyone else think it's strange that the Velocifighters aren't firing at them?" Cassie wondered, as she turned her glider in a slow circle.

"Blowing them up isn't as fun as torturing them to death," Zhane volunteered. "But it's Andros that they're obsessed with, so it probably doesn't apply to the rest of us."

"Well, that's just great," Carlos muttered, as Andros and Ashley sped towards them, both on Andros's glider. "Okay, I think we can go now."

"Am I glad to see you guys," Ashley laughed as they caught up. "Let's get out of here."

Zhane snuck a glance over his shoulder to be sure that they were outracing the Velocifighters before letting his gaze rest on Andros. "How cute," he couldn't resist teasing. "You're sharing a glider."

"Shut up, Zhane." Andros hugged Ashley a little closer, and Zhane decided it was time that he talked to his friend.

**---**

"Why aren't you sleeping with her yet?"

Andros jumped a foot in the air when Zhane's voice sounded at him out of nowhere. Letting go of the towel that he had been using to wring out his hair, he glanced around the room suspiciously. His eyes landing on the upper bunk, he strode across the room and climbed the ladder in annoyance.

"How did you get in here?"

"Door was unlocked." Zhane waved a hand dismissively. "My question now."

Andros sighed and rubbed his forehead, wincing slightly as he touched the bandage over his eye. Both the gash over his eye and the scratch over his cheek were covered by bandages now, and though he knew they would be healed by morning, Andros couldn't help wonder what would happen the next time he fought Cosmos and Lyra.

He shook himself out of his thoughts when he realized that Zhane was staring at him expectantly. "How do you know I'm not?"

"I could list the reasons if you really wanted me to," Zhane offered.

Andros judged from his grin that that was the last thing he wanted. Sighing, he just shook his head. "Because I haven't. And I have more important things--"

"You worry too much," Zhane informed him. He sat up, ducking to keep his head from connecting with the ceiling. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that?"

"Only everyone." Andros rolled his eyes. "That doesn't mean they're right."

"Probably not," Zhane admitted. "Someone has to do it, after all. But about Ashley."

"What I do and who I do it with is none of your business," Andros cut in firmly.

"Until I catch you in a compromising position, that is," Zhane said cheerfully.

Andros ducked his head before Zhane could see him blush. "I'm supposed to meet Ashley on the Observatory in about ten minutes..."

His friend didn't take the hint. "You know, she's not going to turn traitor on us."

"You would have said that about Lyra once," Andros murmured quietly. "And I do know that."

Zhane studied him for a moment. "So you're only afraid of losing her, then."

His fingers tightened over the ladder, and Andros let out a deep breath. "Don't you and Karone ever worry?"

"Of course we do." Zhane shrugged at him with a small frown. "But that's not the point."

"Then could you get to the point?" Andros demanded impatiently.

"There really isn't one," Zhane admitted, ignoring his exasperated sigh. "But you should just stop thinking about everything that could happen someday and focus on what's happening now."

"Zhane..." Andros bit his lip. "I'll think about it," he said finally. "I have to go now."

"You'd better think about it," Zhane warned him with a smirk. "Or else I might be forced to take drastic action."

He was going to regret this... "Drastic action?"

Zhane grinned at him without apology. "I'll just send you to her room to get her for dinner."

**---**

"You're late." Ashley put on a fake pout when Andros stepped into the Observatory, his face flushed and slightly sweaty.

"Sorry." He sounded just the tiniest bit winded as he joined her on the sleeping bags she had spread out across the floor. "I had to chase Zhane around the bridge for a little while."

She couldn't help giggling at that. "Do I want to know why?"

"Probably not," he admitted. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and leaned over to kiss her. "I'm glad you're okay, Ash."

She smiled and kissed his nose. "I'm fine, Andros, I promise."

"I know." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. "So, what are we doing here?"

"Well, since we never did make it to the beach..." She tucked her head comfortably against his shoulder and slipped her arms around him. "I just thought it'd be nice."

He laughed quietly and hugged her harder, holding her tight. "Good enough for me."

She smiled and relaxed into his arms, just gazing up into the stars above them. They fell silent for awhile, Andros rocking her slightly back and forth as they just sat there in each others arms.

Ashley sighed contentedly, breathing in the clean scent of his skin. His body was a comforting warmth against her own, and she finally turned her head to lightly kiss his neck. He sighed a little but didn't move, and she craned her neck back to look at him. His expression was distant and troubled, and she couldn't help sighing herself.

"Hey." She poked a finger into his chest. "Stop brooding."

"I'm not brooding," he muttered. He caught her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to her fingers. "I was just thinking."

Ashley rolled her eyes at him. "Stop thinking, then."

"Ash, we were lucky today," he protested. "You know they're up to something."

"No, I don't," she told him cheerfully. "But I know there's no point in worrying about it right now."

"But--"

"No buts," she interrupted him. "Worry about that in the morning. For now, just look at the stars. Relax."

Andros sighed again, and she heard the grin in his voice when he finally answered. "Make me."

"If you insist..." Ashley made a show of sighing heavily, then pushed him all the way down. He didn't utter a word of protest when she rolled on top of him, his arms hugging her close. She grinned to herself and placed a kiss on his lips, before shifting a little in order to touch her lips to the bandage over his left eye.

Her fingers traced the wound gently, then slid through his hair while she tickled his face with kisses. Andros shuddered and Ashley had to smile, laughing aloud when he glared at her.

"That's not fair," he insisted, somehow managing to look convincingly indignant. "You--"

She silenced him with a kiss, turning her head to nuzzle her cheek against his. "Is it my fault that you have a hair fetish?"

"I do not," he mumbled.

"You do." She beamed at him. "It's cute."

Andros blushed, but he looked extraordinarily pleased at her words. Ashley couldn't help but giggle and kiss him again. "Love you," she whispered. "So much."

"I love you too," he murmured, and tugged her down for a kiss.

Ashley closed her eyes and relaxed on top of him, working her arms around him as he held her close to him, warmed by the heat of his body. He kissed her slowly, nipping gently at her bottom lip. Her fingers tightened on his shirt as he slid his tongue into her mouth, his hands tangled in her hair.

She shivered, half surprised that she didn't just melt away. The tiny tremors that shot up and down her spine each time he kissed her like that only intensified and she squirmed; it was beginning to drive her crazy. Ashley pushed him away, studying him intently and smirking when he grinned at her.

Andros inhaled sharply when she nibbled at his shoulder, stiffening as she worked her way across his collarbone and up his neck. She giggled breathlessly in his ear before drawing his earlobe into her mouth.

Ashley heard him hiss quietly, and grinned to herself. Turning her head slightly, she pressed her lips to the skin just behind his ear. Andros didn't make a sound but she felt him twitch. She just nipped at his skin, laughing in surprise when he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back.

"Stop that," he growled.

She just stared at him for a moment, then a mischievous grin spread slowly across her face. Tugging on his hands until he let go, she leaned down and nuzzled his ear another time. Before she knew it, he'd flipped them over, pinning her down as he glared at her.

"I said, stop it," he repeated, his voice not nearly as steady as she suspected he wanted it.

There was only one answer to that, and she just smirked at him. "Make me."

Andros opened his mouth, very slowly closing it again. She watched him swallow, and then he kissed her passionately, a hand moving up to stroke her cheek. Ashley tightened her arms around his shoulders, realizing belatedly why he'd wanted her to stop.

"Andros," she murmured against his lips.

He froze, and very slowly began to pull away. "I told you," he muttered. He drew his knees up to his chest and looked away, refusing to turn his head back towards her. She laid a hand on his shoulder and he stiffened, mumbling an apology.

Ashley just stared at him, wondering how he could be so... dense. "You know," she remarked, sidling closer, "most guys would remember that their girlfriend wants to sleep with them."

She punctuated her words with a kiss to the back of his neck. Andros tensed, trying to crane his neck around to see her face. "A--ash..."

"Yes?" she said innocently, holding his shoulders still so she could keep kissing him. "What is it?"

"I..." Andros twisted away from her, turning so that he could stare straight into her eyes with that look of his. He watched her for a minute, just gazing into her eyes without speaking. "You're sure?"

She laughed a little, rolling her eyes in amusement. "Didn't I just say that?"

"Did you?" He stared at her helplessly, and she couldn't help but fling her arms around him. If only he didn't look so adorable like that...

"Twice," she informed him, resting her chin on his shoulder. "And so we're clear--I'm sure. You're the one I want."

When he didn't answer right away, she smiled and kissed him softly, her arms around his shoulders again. He hugged her back and she relaxed, her heart rate spiking sharply when he trailed his hands lightly over her bare arms.

"I want you too," he told her quietly, his hair tickling her arms as he kissed her collarbone. "You have no idea how much."

She laughed. "I think I can guess."

Andros blushed and she giggled at him, hugging him hard as he eased her back down onto the sleeping bag. Ashley drew in her breath as he relaxed on top of her, his hands slipping just beneath her shirt. She shivered, and he drew away to meet her eye.

"Scared?" he murmured.

She shook her head. "No," Ashley said firmly. He didn't look convinced and she added a bit reluctantly, "Just a little... nervous."

He hesitated. "Me too," he admitted quietly, gently stroking her cheek. "I love you, Ash."

"Love you," she murmured back, and after that it was a long time before they said anything at all.

He raised his arms when she tugged at his shirt, and Ashley could only stare as she dropped the t-shirt to the ground. Gorgeous wasn't enough to describe him. It might have been true, but there was something in the way his soft eyes gleamed at her, something in the way his touch lingered on her skin all at once gentle and yet enough to make her crave more, something in the way he moved that made him too beautiful for words.

They went slowly, taking the time to thoroughly explore each other, to savor the sight and feel of the other's body. Ashley loved the softness of his skin beneath her fingers, adored the little groans that slipped out of his mouth when she touched him.

His hands were calloused, his fingertips not quite as smooth as the rest of his skin. She caught her breath as his touch trailed across her stomach and then a little higher, his lips seeking out hers and not letting go.

Ashley didn't know how long they lay like that, caught up in their own little world. It wasn't anything at all how she'd expected, nothing like she ever would have guessed. Andros was more certain than Ashley felt about herself, but then, he'd done this before. It didn't bother her. His eyes were warm as he stared down at her softly, his face inches from hers as he leaned down to kiss her, and she didn't doubt that he was thinking only of her.

She hugged his neck hard, kissing him passionately. It was so easy to kiss him, and somehow that made it all a little less awkward.

As they lay in a tangle of arms and legs, the second sleeping bag settled over them, Ashley knew that she wouldn't trade what had just happened between them for anything. Her heart still pounding as she pillowed her head on his chest, Ashley curled up around her lover and slowly drifted off to sleep, her last sight before she closed her eyes Andros's peaceful face bathed in starlight.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, I did promise to have this done by New Year's--Six hours and fifty-five minutes to spare. ::grins:: Or, a year and a day after I posted Part I, which is surprising because my attention span doesn't last this long. I hope you've liked this story, and Part III will be up late January/early Febrary at the latest. There's still a few little details that I need to make up my mind on. 

Please, please, please review and tell me what you think. Over-romanticized, but besides that? (And if you were wondering, no, Ashley isn't pregnant.)

Thank you all for reading and reviewing. You guys are the greatest. Have a happy New Year, everyone!


End file.
